Where Loyalties Lie
by JumpingTheMoon
Summary: Book Number Three of my novelization and rewrite of SOAL. From where the leader is lost, to the Prince rebels, and the crew is forged. Rated M now, for the smutty goodness. This book is complete.
1. Drachma's Fate

**Skies Of Arcadia Legends**

**Book Three- Where Loyalties Lie**

_By Jonathan Pelikan_

* * *

Chapter One- Drachma's Fate

The young girl found herself unable to sleep much. Instead of waking up the other person who she shared a room with, she quietly exited and made her way to the abandoned bridge, where she could think in peace. The entire ship seemed oddly quiet, as the _Little Jack_'s engines had all been cut for the night to conserve fuel.

She was Fina, last product of a dieing race, and only one of two Silvites who still lived. Her purpose had been, as all Silvites had done, to watch over the world of Arcadia and ensure that the destructive superweapons of ancient times were never used again, lest they invite the apocalypse of the Rains of Destruction twice. She was a very gentle, kind, and innocent girl, and she was told that she had great beauty, along with a host of special powers and abilities of the Silver Moon. Her small companion, a technological creature named Cupil that could morph it's shape at will, floated just off her shoulder as usual, the telepathic link they shared submerging them both in pensive thought.

The skies overhead were a gloomy, dark color as usual. Their ship rested at the bottom of a deep trench in the blighted lands of Valua, the continent under the sway of the Yellow Moon and where it was impossible to tell day from night. A flash would occasionally illuminate everything for a split-second before it returned to darkness. The lands themselves all seemed slightly yellowish, as if the entire nation had some form of disease. That would certainly fit the profile of the Valuan Empire's quest to rule or destroy the world.

Her thoughts turned to a more inspiring subject- her friends.

Her friends... without them, she would be in irons in the Valuan Capitol, or worse, would have ended up dead and left her vital quest unfulfilled. Vyse, the heroic son of air pirates, strong and brave- Aika, his childhood friend, loud and proud, with magical abilities rivaling her own- and Drachma, owner of the vessel, the stout and quiet fisherman who more than once saved all the rest of them from certain death. He was the reason they were lying in wait, as well. They were preparing for battle.

She was not aware that the two men were awake, nor that they were out on the deck of the ship, talking in a way that Drachma had never before. Her mind went to her childhood friend, and the other Silvite, a beautiful and powerful man named Ramirez. She had been tasked by her superiors with finding him and discovering why he deviated from his mission- Ramirez had been the first choice for the task of defending Arcadia from the Gigas, and she was only the back-up plan that was forced into action.

She vacantly noticed that the air was beginning to change out the forward view-screen over the top of the canyon. Bringing herself back to awareness, she saw the fog swirling about in the sky and frowned. "Rhaknam," She said to herself, her quiet voice speaking out in the darkened pilot-house. Cupil squeaked several times nervously. "I'm a little scared as well," She admitted to him, sitting up.

After the base silence of the ship, the thundering of Vyse's brown boots on the wooden staircase leading up to the bridge sounded incredibly loud. The Silvite girl glanced back and blinked, surprised, while Vyse emerged into the room. "Fina," He said. "Good. You weren't with Aika, she's down getting awake... Rhaknam's here! Captain wants us all ready to rumble in five minutes."

Vyse Dyne's handsome features made him stand out, even in the very dim illumination of the fishing sloop's bridge. His unruly brown hair flowed down around his shoulders, uninhibited mostly in it's growth. A skyglass covered one of his chocolate-brown eyes, and under the other lurked a nasty scar that was a relic of an act years ago in which he had thrown himself in the path of an attack to spare Aika. Healing magics of all kind had failed to even partially erase it, perhaps because of it's symbolism of his heroism and willingness to sacrifice for others. He wore a regular blue sailing tunic, and twin moonstone cutlasses were holstered on either sides of his belt. His figure was not that of great brutish muscle, but a lean and agile build.

Fina nodded, bringing her hands up to her mouth. "I saw the fog. Where are the others?" The mists outside only seemed to continually intensify, and already the faint illumination cast by the yellow orb in the sky had been completely snuffed out.

A loud yawn and a flash of red hair emerging up the steps heralded the coming of her other teenage friend, Aika. She didn't look much like a pirate at all, with beautiful pale skin, a feminine figure wrapped in a tight yellowish one-piece dress, and large, friendly eyes. Luckily, the scarecrow-braids of her flame-tinted hair and the massive green boomerang holstered across her back dispelled any notion of normalcy. She smiled groggily and said, "Jeez, was I the only one who actually slept?"

"Looks like it," Vyse replied, walking up to the helm. He pulled up the power, throttling the controls forward. The ship gave a great shudder and a series of jolting coughs as it's moonstone engines leapt back to life. Fed by the reactive powers of the small meteorites, the stolen Valuan drives pumped energy throughout the ship and gave it the familiar hum of a live ship.

Drachma was the last to reach the bridge. His hulking frame came into view, and he huffed in approval. "My quest is at hand. Everyone, to your stations! Get movin'!" Captain of the _Little Jack_, the old fisherman had a snow-white beard and hair pulled back in a functional ponytail. His skin was tanned and body muscled from many years of heavy labor, and he had an actual black eyepatch around one of his eyes. An enormous rusty mechanical arm replaced one of his missing limbs, by far the most noticeable thing on this remarkable man.

He was the one who had brought them to this place, to hunt the behemoth arcwale known as Rhaknam. The pursuit of the murderous creature had consumed over twenty years of his life, and by now all aspects of him were tailored to extracting eventual hard justice, in the name of his crew and his lost son, whose name was taken for his ship's title.

The old man walked over next to Vyse and said, "Bring us up, boy. We'll man the cannons. Everyone, if you see anything in the fog, holler at once. We won't be caught off guard this time." He led the girls out onto the deck, hefting the ammo caisson into position.

_Little Jack_ lifted itself up off the uneven bottom of the trench they were in. Fins to either side of the hull beat frantically in a pattern intended to give maximum lift to the aged ship. Rising above the crest of the trench, they were in open sky now, even if the fog was at it's thickest and visibility was reduced to a few meters ahead of the prow. They sat their in the air, floating motionlessly, for several minutes, straining to catch a glimpse of the massive foe, or hear something of worth.

The sharp reports of cannon-fire echoed out, and soon the entire crew heard the telltale noises of airship weaponry. Vyse frowned. "Where's that coming from?"

Drachma stood up in alarm, pointing forward. "Boy! Dead ahead!" Out of the mists emerged the dull outline of an enormous winged creature, and it was growing larger as it approached their position. "It's him!" As it drew nearer, the features of the arcwale began to come into focus- it's skin was an off-purple color, and many odd carvings adorned it. It let out a rhythmic wail, still heading for them with power and mass unmatched.

Vyse frowned, slapping the wheel with all of his strength. The rattling ship responded, lurching so quickly to starboard that it just managed to avoid being completely crushed by the beast as it passed within meters of them. "Oh shit!" He cursed, and the deck shivered under him.

"Moons Alive," Aika said, bracing herself against the deck's rail and squeezing her eyes shut. "That thing is _enormous_!"

As they finally cleared it's long tail, three ships appeared in the distance- one was painted night-black with a shock of the deepest red across it's angular hull, and the other two had a dull gray metallic sheen. Both were definitely Valuan in profile, and the metal airships moved in formation to pursue the great beast. Their cannons spoke out again, bursts of flame heralding the flight of dozens of explosive shots which slamming into the writhing tail of Rhaknam, making it let loose another of it's shrill bellows.

Vyse frowned. _Two regular Gunboats, escorting... a black cruiser... looks like a flagship of some kind._ "Captain! Whose ship is that? I've never seen it before!"

Drachma looked up from the blaster he had just finished loading with three rounds of high-explosive ammunition shells. "While we were in Valua savin' your crew, I heard rumors that the Armada had changed their chain of command. That must be Ramirez's ship! He's Galcian's Vice Captain, and the most feared man in the fleet."

The Silvite looked up at the black ship and gasped. "Ramirez?" She echoed.

"Fina, what's up?" Aika asked from beside her, having finished loading the rest of the guns with their ammo. Icy winds blasted them and whipped over the wooden deck of the fishing sloop as the Valuan ships rained yet another round of fire onto the Arcwale.

"... nothing," She replied. "I'm alright!" She promised herself she would tell Aika all about it later, if they survived that long. It puzzled her- could it really be the Ramirez, the one she was sent to find, commanding a Valuan fleet? Many things left unanswered, but she refocused her mind on just the fight, leaving other matters for less important times.

"We can't fight them both," Vyse said, turning the wheel to follow them and powering on the throttle. The ship roared in reply, leaping forward to join the chase. "Captain! Orders?"

"Take down the Valuans first," Drachma commanded. "I don't want any chance of them interferin' when we go after Rhaknam. Don't attack Ramirez's ship, go for the two escorts! We're behind em and they don't see us, boy, so fire as she bears with that Harpoon and make it quick!"

"Aye," The teenager replied, subtly steering the ship up. The massive point of the Harpoon Cannon mounted on the nose of the _Little Jack_ aligned up with the rear of the port Valuan gunboat. "Never even saw it coming... say good night, then." Pulling back the firing lever, he felt the ship lurch more. Shoving it's way through the fog like a knife, the metal point landed square on the enemy. Slamming into it's engineering section, it demolished the power systems for the ship and caused a feedback loop, which jammed every single one of their propellers.

Without this source of lift, the heavy metal ship simply couldn't stay afloat, and began to sink towards the ground at an alarming rate with the influence of gravity reigning supreme. Pulling their valuable weapon back by the thick black tow-cable attached to it, Vyse felt the harpoon re-enter it's launcher, ready for re-use.

"A hit!" Aika whooped. "Dead-center, and they're going down! Nice job, Vyse! One more to go!" Vyse fired again, but this time he missed due to the distance and the shaking nature of the ships in the wake of the arcwale. Instead of piercing the ship's rear armor, it veered to starboard and slammed into one set of it's propellers. Snapping them off like branches from a tree, it sent the second escort into a wild spiral for several moments before they could activate backup engines and stabilize themselves.

The Valuan escort began to turn in a wide and indolent arc to return fire, finally seeing their assailants in their vulnerable blind-spot. Drachma frowned. "Oh, no you don't. Boy, broadside. We'll give em a volley and convince em they want to leave." The ship turned harshly, now presenting it's armored side to the Valuans. Lighting the fuse, Drachma watched as their first round of fire slammed into the enemy ship. The explosive rounds tunneled through the armor and detonated, rendering it's defense very underpowered. Ripping through whole decks, molten and twisted metal shards began to fall from the ship as it was hit hard.

Vyse smirked. _These HE shots are supposed to be used on arcwales and other enormous flying creatures of Arcadia. Even the Valuans don't have the defenses to stand up to that._ He watched the damaged regular boat and Ramirez's flagship begin to veer off, retreating from the formidable foe they faced. "Alright! We've got a straight shot at Rhaknam, sir! The enemy's running."

He looked over, to find Drachma entering the bridge. "I've been waiting for this... for a very long time. I'll do it personally." Vyse stepped aside without a word, and he assumed the controls. "Harpoon Cannon... _FIRE_!"

The massive harpoon shot out for the third time, the motors straining to give it maximum force. Spinning in the air, it embedded itself into the side of Rhaknam, shaking the fishing boat. The arcwale let out another noise of pain, and began to react to the metal invader on it's body. Now being pulled along by the creature as well as their engines, they easily kept pace.

"Heh," The old fisherman said, glaring down at Rhaknam. "Now there's no escape for you. I'll finally have my revenge, in the name of Little-" He was cut off by the ship shaking again. The lights suddenly dimmed as the roar of twin explosions filled the bridge with noise. More shots landed all around them, puffing out with energy released from the Valuan shells.

Aika leaned out over the side. "Look out, everyone! Enemy ship behind us! Ramirez is back!" The large horned Valuan flagship continued it's bombardment, intending to blow the smaller fishing ship clear out of the darkened skies.

Drachma looked in the back window the bridge at the outline of the enemy ship, brought into sharp focus every few seconds by the light from it's own blazing guns. "_Damn_! We didn't make them retreat enough, and underestimated him! Now _he_'s behind _us_..." Explosions ripped apart the sails of the boat, and tore flaming holes into the armor. A blaze started going in the fore-decks, spreading billowing smoke and deadly heat throughout the ship. More fire landed around them. They were defenseless to the Valuan shots, and couldn't even evade while they were connected with Rhaknam.

Aika and Fina quickly dashed up the steps moments before a flaming timber dropped onto where they were, crushing several of the cannons and shaking them loose of their connection to the deck. They joined the males on the bridge, where Vyse was desperately trying to control the ship. "_Little Jack_ is on fire," Aika reported. "Armor is not effective enough!"

"We're loosing rudder power," Vyse said. "The engine's hit... we can't maintain the altitude for long! This ship is going down!" The wrecked fishing boat continued to absorb the lethal blows from the enemy flagship, which never relented for a moment. A dud crashed through the back window, clattering to a stop on the wooden deck right behind them. "Oh, this is not good! At this rate, we're all going to die!"

"_NO_," Drachma said angrily, gesturing in the air while his ship was being torn asunder. "I've waited far too long for this day! I might never get another shot like this again!" His thinking was being affected by his blood lust, and Vyse could see the urgency in his good eye.

Flames licked the back window, heating up the glass panes until they were opaque and white-hot. Flickering red and orange lights illuminated the bridge as Vyse turned towards the old man. "Captain! We have to abandon ship! We need to get to the lifeboat dock before it's destroyed!" He stared right up into the eyes of the other man with an intense glare on his normally laid-back features.

"... What?!" Drachma asked angrily, meeting his gaze. An entire side of the ship tore off, the hollow green metal flying backwards in several sections of debris and wood splintered and burned. "You're tellin' me to abandon the _Little Jack_?!" An explosion knocked into the side-window, cracking the glass but luckily not breaking it in fully. Air whistled through the cracks. "You're tellin' me to let Rhaknam go?!"

"YES," Vyse shouted, anxious eyes flickering from the two girls who watched in fear their exchange, to the burning sails and deck below them in the viewscreen, to the white-hot back window, and back up to his Captain. "In about fifteen seconds there won't BE a _Little Jack_ for you to abandon! If you die, it won't bring back your son! As long as you're alive you've still got a chance!"

Drachma looked away, growing angrily. The dilemma was tearing him apart, and he seemed unwilling to stop his attack, even if it meant his own demise.

He stepped closer, shaking the larger man, even while his voice began to get softer. "Captain... if you die now, today, because of this, then the lives of your crew, and your son... will have been lost in vein." A very ill-sounding groan slowly wracked through the superstructure of the _Little Jack_, and under pressure the superheated metal supports near fires became more pliable, and thus bent. The entire ship began to lean slightly, and the hull's integrity was rapidly dropping.

Drachma pushed him away and roared again in anger and frustration, years of hatred emerging to the surface at exactly the time where it would not benefit him at all. He sighed and looked down to the deck, nodding slightly.

"Alright, we're abandoning ship," The Blue Rogue ordered, looking over to Aika and Fina. "Let's go! The lifeboats should easily get us out of here." They ran down the steps, Drachma following up in the rear, anxiously avoiding several passages that were already clogged with flames. The engine was a wreck, an enormous hole in the wall creating a near vacuum-effect that they had to fight through before getting to the lifeboat dock.

Another shell hit the bridge, causing it to explode outwards, and leaving only a tangled mess of wood and metal on the deck above them. The ship rattled again, but despite all the damages seemed to be holding up well enough to let them escape.

Vyse leapt with agility up onto Centime's spare lifeboat that he had given to the crew only about a day ago. He looked back, seeing Fina helping Aika into the regular escape boat on the other side. "Come on! Move! Move! We need to get out here now! Captain, get aboard!" Instead, the large fisherman leaned over the back of Aika and Fina's boat, beginning to push it towards the open bay doors at the other end of the dock.

"What are you doing?!" Aika demanded, watching him steadily power their lifeboat over to the open ramp. The whipping winds once again bit into them, and they heard Rhaknam's bellow again. "Captain! Don't!"

"Get movin'," He commanded, and shoved them off. The lifeboat took to the open air, and although it had only a limited engine and small maneuvering fins, it was designed to allow for rapid escape. The form of the small craft quickly shrank into the swirling mists. He then turned and went around to the back of Vyse's lifeboat.

The teenager stood up, looking down at the bulky man. "Come on, sir! There's no time left! We have to get out here right now!" Instead of replying, he saw the side of Drachma's whiskers twitch up in a smile, and he pushed. The boat slid along it's track, and out like the other one did. Before Vyse could react, he was out over the sky, and the metal boat began it's unsteady descent away from the burning hulk. He watched Drachma's form shrink until it became impossible to tell from the _Little Jack_, and then turned towards the other lifeboat, which was still within shouting range.

"Vyse! I think we're going to be separated!" Aika shouted. Before he could reply, a thundering boom cut him off, and the front end of his lifepod exploded. More shells landed around the small rescue boats as Ramirez began to target them for bombardment, forgetting about the doomed fishing boat and the arcwale he was pursuing.

Vyse fell onto the boat's bottom, hitting his head on the rusted metal and falling into darkness.

0-0

Pink. Having just been through what she had, the color pink was down at nearly the bottom of Aika's list of things she expected to see in her mind. Nevertheless, she was surrounded by pink. The room she was in was pink. The bed was also pink. The entire room seemed... soft, maybe even cuddly. Feminine was the word most apt to it. She quickly surmised that this was not a Valuan detention center.

She looked around again, and found Fina laying next to her in the bed. She was peacefully asleep, but soon stirred as the redhead's movements disturbed her. They both sat up, surprised and confused. Aika groaned, and managed to speak first. "Ugh... what is this place? Where are we? And how did we get here?"

"I do not know," The platinum-blonde alien said quietly. "This... place is very... um... pink..." She looked over at Aika. "Aika, you're _beautiful_!"

Aika blinked. "Huh?" She looked over, blinking several times. "Thank you... but... why?"

"Your hair," The Silvite replied. "It's... not tied up." It was true- the cascade of smooth red hair that was usually restrained in an intricately braided hairstyle was now freely flowing, and reached over her back. Stray bangs covered a little bit of her eyes. She always was very pretty, but with her hair down, the effect seemed rather striking to her.

"So it is," The redhead replied. "Hunh. So, someone rescued us, put us in a fluffy pink room, and did my hair for me..." She sighed and leaned back down onto the bed on the comfortable pillow. "... I'm going to stop thinking about this. Might give myself a hemorrhage."

Fina blinked, looking around. "Cupil? Cupil, where are you?" A muffled squeak caused her to move, revealing the very squished shape shifter. Indignant, he sprang up, inflating and chattering angrily. "I'm sorry," She said. " I didn't know... where are we?" Cupil didn't know, either.

With a metallic groan, the door to the room opened and both girls looked over towards it. A young woman leaned in. She was dressed in a very expensive-looking pink dress, and had large, friendly eyes that resembled Aika's, only several order of magnitudes more lively. She smiled and happily said, "Oh, you're awake!" Walking into the room, she put her hands onto her hips. "There's no need to get up just yet," She assured them. This woman was also beautiful, but Fina sensed something just a little bit off about her. Her hair was red like Aika's, and worn similarly. "Let's see... what can I get you... how about a nice, hot bowl of soup?"

Aika grinned, taken aback by this sudden kindness. "Sure! I'm Aika, by the way! Thanks for saving us!"

Fina nodded in agreement. "I am Fina. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us. We owe you our lives."

She walked closer, closing the door behind her. "Aika and Fina... you both have such pretty names! You're lucky I found your lifeboat, it only had about an hour's worth of fuel left and you were over sky. You were both out cold. What exactly happened?" She twirled around once, putting her hands up to her face excitedly. "I love to hear stories!"

Aika blinked, suddenly a little worried. No matter how nice or pretty her surroundings and hostess were, she was still an unknown factor, and she considered that maybe telling her about their quest to defy the Valuan Empire wasn't a smart idea yet. Sensing the refrain in the teenager, she leaned in over them. "Oh, that's ok. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But by the looks of you... I'm gonna say you're Air Pirates. Yes?" Aika looked down guiltily while Fina frowned. "Ha! I guess I guessed right. You don't have anything to worry about, because I'm an Air Pirate, too!"

Both of the girls seemed interested by this. "Really?" Aika asked.

"Yes," She answered. "I'm Clara, of the Blue Rogues. Nice to meet you." She leaned forward, extending her gloved hand. After explaining that they were comrades of a sort, she finally got them to tell her their story. Staring from their quest in Nasr, they outlined the basic points of their adventure. Clara seemed fascinated by this story, believing it, and noting at several points that rumors had been circulating about just such events. She had brought in soup while she listened, and now the bowls laid on a tray to the side, empty. "I see. Well, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Vyse sounds capable."

"You both like him, riiiiight?" At this question, both of the girls went a little pink, and she deduced the answer from that. "I thought so. Well, you have to have faith in your man!" She winked at them.

"Yeah," Aika nodded, grinning. "You're right." Fina looked down quietly.

"Captain Clara!" A muffled female voice said from the other side of the door, before it opened, revealing a female sailor in a red striped shirt. She seemed young, younger than either of the rescued girls. "Nasrad's in sight and we just got landing clearance."

"Okay," Clara acknowledged. "Thank you, Belle. Prepare for landing." She looked over at the girls. "We'll be arriving in Nasr's capitol city in a few moments. Who knows? It's a large place, and maybe you'll find out what happened to Vyse while we're there."

They proceeded up to the bridge of the ship, discovering that most of the ship was like their room. Pink. It was a wooden sailing ship of a similar class to the old _Albatross_, but Clara had christened it the _Primrose_. The ship's many fins and sails flapped, guiding it onwards through the sky towards the expansive docks of the huge city. It's cannons and side-hull were painted a gentle beige or creme color, and the while thing seemed a little weird. But that was piracy, and most pirates were eccentric in some way or another.

Nasr was the second most powerful country in all of Arcadia, and the only one to even come close to rivaling Valua. It's capitol, Nasrad, boasted a population of over half a million people, and was shaped in an enormous pentagon, with well-planned out streets and building codes that continually expanded out on the island that it was situated in. Nasrad harbor was nearly constantly full of merchant and sailing ships, and the docks of the city made Maramba's seem like two twigs and a rock.

Pulling alongside one of the docks, the crew laid out anchor and attached lines to ground the ship, turning down their engines at the same time so the ship hovered a few meters away. They brought out a boarding ramp, and Clara debarked with their impromptu guests.

She smiled and said, "Well, now that we've dropped you off, we'll restock our supplies and we'll be off. It was very nice meeting you two, and I wish we could have spent more time together." She pulled out a small but heavy pouch from her dress and handed to to them. "Here... take this. It's only five-thousand, but it should help you get back on your feet again."

"Wow," Aika said, taking the money as reverently as Fina had taken the Green Moon Crystal from Isapa a while ago, "First you save our lives, and now you give us money? Thank you for everything, so much!" Fina bowed to her.

"Don't give it a second thought," Clara replied, waving dismissively. "I am a Blue Rogue like you, after all. I know you'd do the same for me."

Fina asked, "Where are you going to go now, Clara?"

"Me? Well, I'm going after the man I love," She gushed. "He's an Air Pirate too, you know. He's a little on the wild side, but he's strong... and smart... and... and so yummy!" Clara giggled. "I follow him around a lot, until he realizes his true feelings for me and we get married. Isn't that so romantic?"

"Um, sure," Aika replied, keeping her judgments to herself on that matter.

"Well, I'd better get going," She said. "Again, it was lovely meeting you two." She walked back up the boarding ramp to her ship, and began to supervise her female crew in the unloading of cargo.

When the redheaded teenager had made sure she was well out of earshot, she laughed. "She's the nicest stalker I've ever met, Fina. Well, at least that explains why her entire ship looks like a frickin' honeymoon suite."

Fina blinked. "Honeymoon?" She tilted her head, having one of her I-don't-understand-what-you-are-talking-about moments.

Aika sighed. "I kinda figured you wouldn't know what that was, but it's not important right now. Let's check out Nasrad, and see if we can find a place to stay for the night." She led the way, walking down the alabaster docks and up a flight of steps into a set of double-doors that were actually gates through the city's vast walls. Cannons lined the roof of the fortification, sticking proudly into the sky. Nasrad was a well-defended city.

The people were lively and proud, going about daily life in the metropolis. They compared this sight with their memories of the Valuan capitol, with it's crushing squalor and sickening largess literally side-by-side on display. This place was much different. Passing a fountain that gushed a stream of cool, clear water, Fina wondered how they managed to get so much water for what was literally a desert island. The heat also seemed to be much less, perhaps because of some Blue spells that might have been casted over the city.

The skyline of buildings spread out to the horizon, but the palace of the Nasultan stabbed up directly ahead. The seat of governance for the Nasr Kingdom, it was restricted to the public. They had to business with the Nasr government anyway, at least for now.

After exploring for several hours across the enormous city, they returned to the search for a place to sleep, and soon found a white marble building three stories high, it's sign proclaiming the Desert Provost Inn. Entering the building, they felt a gush of cool surround them, similar to when they sought indoor shelter in Maramba.

The innkeeper leaned out over his receptionist's desk and smiled, speaking up in nearly perfect Valuan. "Welcome, ladies. Are you here for a room?"

"Yeah," Aika replied. "For two, please."

"Aah," The man said, nodding sagely and winking. "Honeymoon?" He chuckled mischievously, as if guessing a confident secret, while Fina stood there, looking between the two of them and fairly confused.

Aika turned red. "Um... no. No. No. We're just... friends," She replied. "So, how much? Unless you don't want our business." Crossing her arms, she looked very unamused.

"Oh, no, I will gladly assist," The innkeeper said, his laugh now a little bit nervous. "Um... for two... 100 _rhira_ a night, or you can let me change your gold for you." _Rhira_ was the national currency of Nasr, and the only other type of popular money besides the standard gold coin.

Aika blinked. "Um... I think I have some spare _rhira_ back from our stay in Maramba..." She dug into her pouch and produced twin handfuls of the coins, dumping them onto the desk. After counting off the correct amount and grudgingly giving them the difference back, he provided them a room key. They went up the stairs and through two levels of rooms before finding their number range. They walked past expensive-looking gold-gilded oak doors, Aika glancing between the key and the doors. "407... 409- 409! Bingo!" She opened the door and looked in.

The room was a fairly lavish place, with twin comfortable beds side-by-side, a glass window with a clear view into the sky, and a fully equipped bathroom. Cupil emerged from his camouflage as a bracelet around Fina's hand, squeaking and zipping through the air around their room. Aika giggled, watching him and plopping down onto the nearest bed, laid out upon it's comforting covers.

"What are we going to do now?" Fina asked, walking over to the window and looking out upon the city's skyline at dusk. Rays of red light bathed the handsome marble buildings, and in the distance ships sailed around the horizon near the clouds.

"Well, we'll need a job to keep staying here and eating and stuff," Aika said idly. "We can run up a tab, then when we get our paycheck we can burn off all of our debts and buy a ship. Nothing fancy, just a simple Nasr sloop or something, and start searching for Vyse if he hasn't found us by then."

Fina nodded. "Very well." She sighed, looking up at the Red Moon. "Aika... so much has happened today..."

"Yeah," The redhead agreed. "I can't believe our horrible luck... but things'll probably get better, Fina. Don't worry about it." However, she herself was also worried. _Vyse... you'd better not die on us, or I'll kill you._

Fina's thoughts also returned to their missing comrade. _Are you looking up at the same Moon that we are right now, Vyse?_


	2. Fortunes Turn

Chapter Two- Fortunes Turn

The _Claudia_ was a unique ship- it's hull was centered amongst it's rather large black sails that spread out in several different directions, along with a variety of smaller fins, while the main hull, mostly a rusty red color, was a narrow and long shape, with a metal plow-grate mounted over the front where it's cannons sat in large slots that allowed the guns to be partially adjusted without changing course. The design allowed it a great deal of speed when the winds favored them, and also got them noticed every time they came into port. It about about 150 meters long, and it's wingspan was about half a kilometer.

The commander of the pirate airship was as unique as the _Claudia_ herself. A man simply known as Gilder the Unfettered, he was a seasoned veteran, yet retained his roguish good looks. A set of glasses hung loosely off his pale nose, and his brown hair was well-maintained. He dressed lavishly, usually wearing a ruby-red coat and jacket, with several layers of intricate other clothes and a pair of gauntlet gloves. His whole approach to the world could be most eloquently summed up by his motto, which was: "Women are like sunsets. They're beautiful, but there's a new one every day." He and his small band of Blue Rogues were in search of the good life, in whatever form that might take.

Currently he was enjoying a relaxing nap on the bridge of the ship. It was richly decorated with many items, had a large set of windows that allowed a nearly panoramic view of the skies around them, and the helm controls mounted opposite a royal red couch that he was sprawled over. His pet, a rare species of green long-beaked bird called a Parrot, was called Willy, and it idly sat on it's uncaged perch near the couch.

David LeCroix entered the room, walking up the small staircase and into the bridge. He had jet-black hair that flowed over his face, giving him a slightly mysterious air, and he dressed in an expansive red cloak. His friend since childhood and Vice Captain, he was the more serious of the two, and often seemed the stable driving force behind the reckless adventuresome nature of Gilder. Pure professional he was, he couldn't refrain from addressing his old friend by his title. "Captain Gilder."

Gilder slept away peacefully. LeCroix frowned. _He was supposed to be up an hour ago_. "Captain. Captain. GILDER!" He crossed his arms, escalating his volume.

Willy decided to join in as well, showing the main characteristic of the Parrot- it could mimic human speech with a surprising clarity, and for a creature it was very intelligent. "Gilder! Gilder!" It squawked, it's wings flapping idly as it lifted off and landed a moment later back on his perch.

Forced back into semi-consciousness by his tenacious companions, he let loose a tired groan and shifted around, mumbling, "Ugh... not again, Lola... five more minutes..."

"_Captain, you need to wake up_," David said, putting emphasis on every word. To the side, Willy began to trumpet the phrase at least a dozen times in a row before growing bored and again silent.

"Huh?" Gilder sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly and groping around at the table next to the couch for his glasses, replacing them on his handsome face. "Ugh. I'm awake. I swear. What is it, Dave? Are we at Nasrad yet?"

"No, we're still a few hours out," The Vice Captain replied. "But we just spotted a shipwrecked kid's signal flare off of one of the abandoned island chains, and sent down a boat for him. The boat's about to get back, and we figured you might want to talk to him personally."

The man nodded and sighed. "Alright. Good work, then." He stood up with a groan. "I'm getting too old for this," He complained to nobody in particular, and nobody in particular would have believed such a gripe anyway. Willy found a new perch- his shoulder. They passed out of the bridge, down a narrow wood-paneled hallway, and up a flight of stairs to the hatch. Opening it, they got up onto the flat deck of the ship, and spotted the skiff approaching from the west.

The ebony-skinned man who was piloting the tiny ship passed into earshot as he was finishing his comment to the teenager clad in blue who stood next to him in the pilothouse. "Blue Storm, eh? I heard about you guys, it's nice to meet you."

"Not as nice as it is for me to meet _you_," He replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, you got any Sacrulen crystals around?"

"Ah, I'm sure we can find something for that ache," He said, and pulled the skiff alongside the _Claudia_'s deck, where both the craft stopped to float in the middle of the sky. The teenager debarked onto the main ship, while the pilot pulled back and guided his charge towards the other side, where a small secluded hangar held another two of the small passenger craft, which also doubled as lifeboats in an emergency.

"Welcome aboard," Gilder said. "I'm Gilder, and this is my ship, the _Claudia_. The fearsome beast mounted on my shoulder is Willy. From the way you're dressed, I'd say you're an air pirate too, kid. What's your name?"

"I'm Vyse," He replied, and smiled in a friendly manner. "Thanks for picking me up. I've been stranded down there for two weeks."

"Two weeks! Two weeks!" Willy cheerfully echoed.

"It looks like you're a little bruised up," Gilder noted. "Tell you what, get that Sacrulen crystal, then come meet with me on the bridge. I'd love to hear your full story." Vyse nodded, and he turned, walking back down the hatch into the decks of his ship.

A minute passed, and Vyse emerged onto the bridge of the ship, looking around. "Woah. This is a nice airship you got here, Gilder." He walked into the center of the room, and Gilder looked over from sitting on the couch. "Um... well, as you know, I was on that island for 14 days, but that's just the end of the tale. I'll start from the beginning: Well, Dad and the crew and me were out one day, it was after dark, and we were returning to our base when..."

0-0

Light played across the boy's closed eyelids. For the first time in nearly a day, his form began to stir. With a groan that was as quiet as the wind, his hand moved, tracing a line in the sand down towards himself. Pushing down on the ground, he added his other hand and was able to get himself up on all fours. He reluctantly opened up his eyes, only to be met by an eyeful of brown. Moving his hair out of the way with a sudden jerk of his head and made him very dizzy, he looked up at the dazzling blue sky. Gentle white clouds benevolently flowed high above him. This was no longer Valuan airspace.

Taking in clean air, he looked to the ground beneath him. The soft, smooth sand crunched lightly as he shifted his weight. Tracking his eyes up, he examined the island he was on. The land curved up, culminating in a dull point high in the sky, and forming a crescent moon shape. Sheer cliff-face gave way to a wild forested area right in front of him that was about half of a kilometer long, at most. The sand he was on led to a very small pond of clear blue water that had no visible source. Waves of water lapped at his boots.

There were no other landmasses in sight, just clear sky. He frowned, standing up and brushing himself off. _At least I'm not dead_, he thought. The destroyed and fire-damaged remains of Centime's spare lifeboat sat to his left. There was not much of the escape vehicle left, and a quick inspection revealed that most of the supplies had been ruined or lost to the flame. He was able to salvage a few Pyri crystals, but all of the magical boxes and Green Moon crystals had been crushed or burnt to useless ash. Melted globules of gold laid around the wreckage, but he also scavenged about half of his surviving money. Most thankfully of all, he located his twin cutlasses, which had somehow survived the cataclysm most of his equipment had not. He holstered them on his belt again, nodding as he felt a little less vulnerable now that he was so armed.

As he turned to leave, a gleam from the rubble caught his attention. Searching it again, he uncovered the two glowing Moon Crystals that he had taken with him. Memory flooded back, and suddenly he was overjoyed that the two critical items were in-tact and safe with him. He pocketed the crystals for now.

When he had crash-landed, somehow the boat had sparked a fire, and began to burn. Running on nothing but animal instinct, he dragged his own nearly lifeless body out of the flaming wreckage, collapsing safely on sandy ground. He would have been dead if he had stayed where he was knocked out, but there was no accounting for it. He did not remember anything after escaping the burning ship, at all.

"Aika... Fina..." He sighed, looking down. "We must have gotten separated... after... Ramirez... I can't believe it! Who fires on _lifeboats_!?" He winced and put a hand to his head as pain shot through it. He took a few deep breaths. _Oh, crap... what if I have brain damage? Not that anyone would notice. Okay... just gotta stay calm, that's all. I can handle this._

Dyne had made it a point to give Vyse and Aika survival training during their formative years on Pirate Island. Every sailor knew when they set out for a voyage that there was a chance of being stranded- humans can't fly, and even on easy flights something could always go horribly wrong. Among other useful skills, he had demonstrated how to hunt native monster species of several different kinds, how to filter water, build or find shelter, and other important tasks. _It looks like I'm going to need them... for now, I'm a pirate without a ship._

"Where am I?" He asked himself. He had no memory of such an island. "Well, looks like I get the privilege of naming my new home... I think I'll call it Crescent Isle for obvious reasons." He looked back towards the other crest of the island, over the mysterious pool of water. _Looks like I'll get a better vantage point to survey this place from up there. _He walked to one side of the island, and up the gentle slope until he reached the top. He could see all of the forest, to where it turned to the steep, curving cliff face.

He sighed and shook his head, examining the skies again. In the distance from the west, the clouds were beginning to darken. He squinted, and his skyglass proved it still functioned by magnifying his view. It was without a doubt a significant storm-front that was moving right for his island. _I'd better find some shelter before that hits..._ He noticed a cave at the back of the forest. _Hm. Perfect enough for me. _He walked down the path again, and through the forest, picking his route carefully. He still didn't feel quite well enough to run, so he kept it nice and slow. Occasionally grass and brush rustled near him, but no monsters emerged to attack, so he assumed it was docile native life and paid no attention to the noise.

It didn't take the Blue Rogue long to reach the opposite side of Crescent Island. As he was approaching the wide mouth of the cave, he came upon a gruesome sight. Skeletal remains, still clad in half-destroyed red rags, laid on the grass. He barely stopped himself from recoiling at the sight, attempting to emotionally detach himself and objectively examine what was left of the body. Obviously it had been out for a very long time, long enough for everything except bone to rot away. "Apparently I'm not the first sailor to get shipwrecked here."

He knelt down for a closer look, attempting to ignore the stench the remains had accumulated. On the front red rag, he noticed heavily faded stitching, and traced out the word in his mind. _Gonzales... so this guy's name was Gonzales. Must have been Nasrian or something_. He glanced up at the Red Moon, hanging almost perfectly overhead, as though it were noon and it was the sun. _Man, my ship must have been blown at least fifty leagues off of it's previous heading... I'm not even under the same moon domain as when I got knocked out._ He felt another dull throb of pain and returned his mind to Gonzales.

A small piece of heavily weathered parchment rested just beside his arm. Gently Vyse picked it up and unrolled it. It was a jaggedly ripped old map, and at first he thought it was a map of the island. None of the landmarks matched up in his mind, so he decided it must have been a different island. _Maybe this will come in handy one day. _He pocketed the map and sighed. _Well, Gonzales... I guess it's time to give you a proper burial... how do I dig a hole... I have it!_

He focused what magical talent he had into his hands and consulted his full knowledge of Blue Magic. It wasn't his specialty but he felt confident he could deliver what was needed. Kneeling, he recited the standard incantation. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" The blue runic symbol glowed underfoot, bathing him in gentle illumination. Swirling mists appeared above his head, and he stepped back. The mists turned to water, which began to blast into the ground, soon digging a hole sizable enough for a grave. Panting with the effort, he stopped the spell there, and laid the remains inside. He gathered several dozen medium-sized rocks, piling them up into a crude covering for the grave, and dusted off his hands, surveying his work.

_I'll make you a headstone soon_, He promised to the deceased shipwreck. _For now, I better head inside_. He found the cave system was simple, with only a few branches that led off into dead-ends, and one that stopped at a medium-sized enclosure within the rock. Inside was a bed which looked like a nest, a small wooden deck, and a few other artifacts that showed that human hands had touched this place. "Looks like he must have been here a while, in order to get all of this set up," He noted, his voice echoing.

Laying himself down upon the nest, he comfortably situated himself and curled up. _After I get a bit of rest, I'll go out hunting for food. My ration packs were all destroyed with the lifeboat._ Having taken care of that practical matter, he allowed his mind to drift off to Aika and Fina. He glanced up at the rock ceiling, through which he almost imagined he could see the Red Moon. _Fina... Aika... are you where the Red Moon touches the land? Are you ok?_

The storm had been over Crescent Isle for several hours, and while Vyse tried to be alert, with no threats in sight and a warm sleeping area, along with a strange fatigue he couldn't quite identify, he was quickly sound asleep. The pressure front moved on, passing the small nearly-abandoned island and leaving it's only inhabitant to a fitful rest.

When he did awake, a quick check showed him that it was dusk outside and the skies were once again pretty clear. Red light from the setting sun and the Red Moon bathed over the entire island in an odd display. Vyse would have enjoyed it more, but his stomach cried out for food. He had not eaten anything in about two days by his own count, possibly more.

In addition, the wound on the back of his head bothered him still occasionally, launching searing pain throughout his upper body at completely random times. He wished for the thousandth time that he had been able to find an intact Sacri crystal amongst the rubble of his boat.

He pulled out his cutlasses and began to search the wooded area of the island for anything to eat. He had deduced that Gonzales had lived there for some time by evidence, including a lengthy journal kept by the dead sailor. If he had survived that long, there had to be edible creatures out there.

The forest was small, and he quickly found several odd creatures. With many bumps across their bodies, their thin tails kept them aloft by beating randomly, giving them an odd bobbing motion and an uncertain clearance off the ground. Vyse had never seen them before, and like other things in the island, took to naming them. He decided to call them Grapors, after a story his father had told him of an island where weird fish of a thousand species roamed free.

They were a somewhat aggressive animal when discovered, although they seemed to seek evasion, as evidenced by his lack of interference when he had originally woken up. As he approached them, he saw all the Grapors turn towards him, and fire a flickering beam of rainbow-colored light. The attacks barely missed him as he clumsily dove out of the way, looking up as the fish prepared to attack him again. There was nothing for it but to fight.

A well-placed Pyri crystal roasted one of the floating fishes, sending it to the soft grass in a smoldering heap, and Vyse charged in, using the momentary confusion of the magical explosion to get up close with the other three Grapors. His swords flashed and they fell, one by one, within moments.

Vyse looked over the four deceased creatures, and frowned. They certainly didn't look all that appetizing, but at the point he was at he began to take cuts of meat from them anyway. After fighting and killing two more clusters of the creatures, the sun had set completely over Crescent Isle, and he found that he had hunted enough to supply himself for a number of days. Stopping, he set up a campfire near the sandy pond and the wreckage of his lifeboat and cooked some of the meat, gorging himself with more than his usual unstoppable hunger.

Now sated, he leaned back on the soft grass, sighing as he found himself staring right up at the Red Moon. _I must be somewhere near Nasr. That's good, Nasr's a really aerial country. Maybe I got lucky and washed up near a trade route, and either way a ship's bound to happen by eventually. Tomorrow I'll construct a flare at that summit over there just in case._

His heavy eyelids' desire to flutter closed soon became too much for the well-fed teenager to resist, and he fell into a more peaceful rest, undisturbed by the native creatures of the island or the temperate weather of the night.

He spent his second day on the island searching for firewood to build his beacon and keep it going for a long time. Reluctant to employ his cutlasses as saws, for it would dull and damage them and he had no way to refine them in case he needed them as weapons again, he searched the island for already loose, dry wood. Dry material of many kinds was in short supply after the storm, but he managed to find enough fuel eventually, and took it in two trips up to the highest available point on Crescent Island.

He cleared a piece of land and began to dig, making a sizable hole and filling it with rocks and stones that had all been blasted to be about the same sizes. Adding the fuel over the top, he put the finishing touches on his rescue flare, and then stepped back to admire his rough work. _If a ship comes by all I'll need to do is light this and they're sure to see it._

_Let's see... what's next..._ Dyne had always taught him the most basic steps to surviving on an abandoned island when you were shipwrecked. _1. Food and shelter, so you could exist, 2. A way to flag down rescue, so you could be saved, and 3. If possible, repair your destroyed boat to a state where you could leave the island, so you could escape._

The next task for the teenager, then, would probably be to patch up the lifeboat. It had lain nearly forgotten on the small shoreline, as he had been prioritizing, but he gave it a more thorough inspection now. The rusted metal prow of the ship was ripped into several pieces, the engine had sustained a lot of fire damage and was deformed from the heat, and one of the maneuvering fins had been snapped in half on impact with the ground. It was actually worse than it looked, and he scoured his mind in search of solutions.

This time, there was nothing for it- he had to cut wood, and so put his cutlasses up to it. The blades did their job well, and he had extracted long strips of material with which he could repair his boat. Fitting the wood up to the hull and filling in the holes ripped out, he began to create the hybrid ship that would convey him to civilization.

Before he could get any farther in the repairs, more dark clouds appeared on the horizon, which heralded another storm was heading his way. He sighed, wiping off his hands and abandoning the wrecked lifeboat for the moment. He sought cover in the cave, preparing to wait it out again.

Rain bombarded the surface of Crescent Island for almost an entire day, leaving the Blue Rogue firmly stuck inside his makeshift den. He sighed, leaning against the mouth of the cave and looking over the gloomy, darkened and wet skies. Masses of swirling gray clouds passed him by, and several times lightning flashed and thunder rumbled the ground around him.

Even though it seemed like the rain was utterly useless, the weather nothing more than an annoying obstacle to his work, Vyse did learn some things from it. Under the domain of the Red Moon's fiery gaze, few places got as much rainfall annually as his island got in the last two days. This led him to believe he was somewhere north of the main continental mass, as a rain-shadow effect from Valua's high mountains was what caused much of Nasr's current desert climate. Once he got his boat fixed, all he had to do was go south, and he was likely to hit the Nasr coastline, which would be a start.

Still, a growing feeling of restlessness gripped him as he watched the rainfall drench every part of his island. The small lake on the other side overflowed, washing gently over the boat, and schools of Grapors flapped wetly around, seeking the cover of the thickest trees. He sighed and shook his head to clear it, ignoring the pain as his injury acted up again. "Well, I guess I can't do anything about it. I'll get some rest, and when the rain passes by, I can get back to work." He went back into Gonzales's den and laid down on the straw, slowly trying to go to sleep.

While he slumbered, the island slowly began to reveal it's hidden bounty. Every once in a while, the moons rained down showers of the precious reactive materials, moonstones. Arcadians used this material for fuel, and it was a vital component of a lot of aspects of life and industry. They were collected with the utmost speed and fervor, and usually seeing one lying around on the ground was a rare sight.

Crescent Isle, however, had been abandoned for a very long time, and had not seen the touch of moonstone harvesters yet. The random hits of the small meteorites gathered and accumulated, covered by time and the soil of the island. The rains began to slowly wash away the topmost layers of the soil, and unearth the glowing red chunks and shards of magical stone. By the time Vyse awoke again, it was nearly sunrise, the rain was winding down, and many of the newest moonstone deposits had been at least partially revealed across the island.

He remembered that part of his training well. _Moonstones are the common fuel source for all airships. Abandoned islands hold high concentrations of moonstones. If I want to find some, all I probably have to do is go around looking. There's sure to be a few sticking right up out of the ground._

Vyse started off from his cave after a hearty breakfast of meat, watching the sunrise and trudging around the wet grass and dirt. The sun rose up and, as usual, spread it's life-giving tendrils of heat and light across the sky, illuminating everything and joining the Red Moon. The young pirate smiled and felt that, all things considered, things seemed to be going fairly well for him. _I got food, water, shelter, and my boat. Plus the Moon Crystals are still safe with me. I could use them for fuel... but then again that level of power would probably make the engine explode. Better to just find some diluted 'stones._

Searching very hard wasn't required. He soon ran across one- a glittering, jagged red rock about the size of his fist, stuck in it's own small impact crater of turned dirt. Kneeling, he used one of his blades to dislodge the meteorite, and pocketed it. Walking through the forest, he spotted and collected five more of the revealed moonstones, ranging from one about a centimeter big to one bigger than his head. The Grapors, as usual, fled at his approach, leaving him to do his work in peace. He reached the wrecked boat, where his wooden repairs had only fixed a small part of it's major hull breaches.

Examining his take, he laid them out onto the sand. _Raw red 'stones don't give off much power, but it should definitely be enough to reach Nasr, and then I can find one of their border towns or wait in a trade route for a caravan to help me._ He nodded in happiness, and looked up into the clear skies of early morning. Dew and mist stuck to the natural and wild climate of Crescent Island. _Fina, Aika... wherever you are, stay safe._

Gathering more timber, he prepared the wooden material and began to repair the basic frame of the boat first. It was a small craft, but in order to make it sturdy enough to fly, he had to work a lot. He used another Pyri crystal to melt down some of the iron frame so he could reshape it to accommodate it's new hull plating. Having no tools to speak of except his blades and a small repertoire of magical powers, it was a rough job by any standards.

He took over four days to repair the hull, but finally he was satisfied that it was in a suitable condition to stand the rigors of basic flight. Over that time, he made sure to always keep the signal flare burning, keeping up that hope of rescue, even though he spotted no ships. He set the ship floating in the water so that he could work on the engine, finding to his surprise that the boat's shape was almost perfect to maintain buoyancy. As his first week on the abandoned island drew to a close, he found his efforts were already sending him on his way to getting off of Crescent Island, one way or another.

His fear was that the engine had been so badly damaged that it could no longer power the maneuvering fins or even keep it floating in the air. Opening the warped and torn outer casing, he found the whole thing a complete mess. Refusing to be dismayed, he started to work, using what little knowledge of moonstone propulsion and engine technology he had to patch together a system that would accept the raw stones.

Finally, at nearly midnight of the fourteenth day, after he had patched a bunch of sturdy leaves onto wooden webbing and mounted it to the side to replace the wrecked fin, the engine sputtered to a dubious life, shaking the makeshift lifeboat's repairs. Vyse held his breath, waiting and watching it. When it began to float, rising to about eye level, he whooped a cheer and slept into the air. "It works! It works!"

_Yes! Tomorrow, I can finally leave this rock, and get on the search for the girls_. He feel back onto the grass, exhausted, and winced as the ground made contact with his injury. "Ow! Damn! Eh... oh, well." Even the throbbing pain in the back of his brain could not deter the good night's rest he prepared to seize. _Lucky, too. I only had enough meat for another day... I should hunt some more and stockpile before I leave, so I can survive the voyage._

Hunting and gathering two more stacks of Grapor meat, he helped himself a leisurely meal at about noon of his final day on the island. For the first time in a while he felt no schedule or deadline, as now he had the means to control his own destiny. It felt very good after being stranded, even for such a short amount of time.

Loading up what small possessions he had into the boat, and he rigged a makeshift wheel carved out of bark and oak wood when he remembered his last task. _The beacon. I guess I'd better douse the fire, wouldn't want to worry passersby when I've already escaped._ Climbing back out of the patiently waiting boat, he jogged up to the summit where rested the smoking fire. He took out a small, chipped blue moonstone that he had found in the wreckage, the last of it's kind he had. He was about to spark it off the side of the flames and release it's watery energy, when he spotted an unfamiliar dot in the sky. Looking up, he used his skyglass to magnify the image.

He was taken aback, so shocked he couldn't say anything for several seconds, and when he did, his tone was throughly disbelieving. "Holy Moons Above! A ship! A ship!" Indeed, centered in his magnified vision was an airship. It didn't look much like a traditional sailing ship, but he didn't care. Turning, he pulled one of the red moonstones out and increased the size of the fire, waving madly to the ship as it passed the abandoned island.

Vyse watched twin explosions appear in the sky next to the smoking cannons of the ship, and knew they they had saw him. _Man, if I'd known a ship would happen by, I wouldn't have spent all that time on my boat_, He thought, chuckling. _Time to leave this place_.

As a small skiff made it's way towards the island to pick him up, he cast a final glance back down to the familiar landscape of his temporary home and heaved a sigh. _I just had a really weird feeling about this place... like I'm going to be seeing a lot of it again. _He turned back towards the landing airship that sat moored next to him off the cliff. _Ah, not if I'm lucky!_

0-0

While Vyse had been stranded away from civilization, the girls had the opposite problem. They were pirates without a ship, and in the middle of a metropolis.

The girls awoke early the next day, hungry and seeking work. Unlike the Inn they had stayed at back at Maramba, the owner informed them that sadly, complimentary breakfast was not served for the tenants. However, there were numerous establishments set up to serve at this hour, and he recommended one of them and pointed the girls in that direction.

They set off across the clean, wide boulevards that were already buzzing with people. They took in the sights of Nasrad, and their appearance and skin color marked them as obvious tourists or visitors. A Nasr Army trooper in the brown leather uniform of the country greeted them as they passed in a fluent if accented Valuan, "Greetings, fair foreign ladies. Is our city not a wonderful sight? Us Nasrians know the true meaning of value and beauty, unlike the slag-heap of a town that the Valuans call their Imperial Capital." He grinned widely.

Aika nodded. "Yeah. I was at Valua once, you know. Even the air there's gloomy. Say, I was wondering if you could help us. We're kind of short on cash, and we'd like to know if you-"

"Ah, looking for monies, eh? Say no more," The soldier declared in his booming voice. "I will take you to Osman Financial. She's one of the most famous financiers in all of Nasr, and she gives loans to just about anyone. Follow me, then, and stay close, for the crowds of industrious Nasr citizens are already thick!" With that he set off on his purpose, and the two girls followed. They found they made much better time with the large, muscled soldier wedging through the throngs of people.

Going up a set of white ramps, they arrived at the second level of a large building with a billboard mounted outside. It said '_Osman Financial_' in Nasrian, and provided a Valuan translation below. He turned towards them at the door and said, "Here we are. If you require any more assistance or directions, don't be afraid to ask! Our noble army is all around the city, defending the people under the Red Moon against the Valuans and any other ragamuffins that try and attack Nasr." He bowed, and set off again.

Fina blinked. "Well, he certainly was a... nice man," The Silvite noted, smiling nervously. His boisterous nature had caught them both off-guard, and although their original aim was breakfast, they decided to give Osman a try and see if they couldn't secure some _rhira_ for an early departure from the city. Cupil assumed it's normal cover around her hand, chirping one last time in encouragement.

Entering the front door, they were greeted by the receptionist, who was a prim and proper looking secretary seated behind a desk. "Welcome," She said in a broken Valuan. "The owner is around back. Go on in." They nodded and went over to the gold-embroidered door that said 'OSMAN'. _Well_, Aika figured, _At least her ego's pretty wealthy_.

Osman herself was... rotund, to say the least. Her office had a mix of pink hues that eerily reminded them of their rescue and stay on the _Primrose_. Wearing ornate golden robes and a fancy hat, along with literal rose-colored glasses, the short, fat woman sat behind an enormous desk. "Welcome," She said, waving idly. "Pull up a seat. How can I help you? I am Osman, and I am a famous financial figure in the Nasr Kingdom. I'll give a loan to anyone if I think I can make even a single _rhira_ in the exchange."

"Well, I'm Aika and this is Fina, and we're Blue Rogues who were recently shipwrecked," The redhead said. "We're going to save up money to buy a ship, but if you give us a loan we could pay you back later and it would really help us."

"Hm... maybe," She said. "What can you give me... for collateral?" She fanned herself idly with a foreign-imported fan, smiling the same kind of smile that a Valuan officer would get at hearing that two Blue Rogues just entered his building.

"Collateral?" Fina echoed, blinking.

"Yes, you know, something to ensure that you two won't just run off and take the money," Osman said impatiently. "Especially air pirates, and you're already looking to buy a ship. I need some insurance to make sure I get my investment back."

"Um..." Aika blinked. "Well, like I said, we were wrecked, and most of our stuff was in the other lifeboat... we don't have much to our names..." They had used Clara's purse yesterday to purchase a few basic Sacri and Curia crystals, magic droplets, and an extended rent for the Inn.

"Nothing?" Osman recoiled at the very thought. "Much too risky! I'm sorry, but I just can't take a chance on that! Without collateral you can just forget it!"

Fina blinked. "Um... but... we need-"

She was cut off by the entrepreneur. "What _you_ need is not important to Osman Financial's shareholders. What the _company_ needs _is_ what is important, and without some insurance, I can't just give away _rhira_ or gold willy-nilly! It wouldn't be good business."

Aika frowned. "Hey, listen you, just give us a chance to explain ourselves. You can't just flat out refuse without hearing anything else first."

Osman huffed. "I'm not running a _charity_ here, you know. Trusting air pirates is a _most_ unprofitable way to conduct yourself, so it's not the way for me! Secretary! Show these young ladies to the door, if you will!" With a spin of the chair they were now staring at the back of her seat. The discussion was decidedly over.

The Blue Rogues left, and Aika made sure to slam the door behind her, causing a very loud noise that Osman could hear in her office. "That was really fuckin' rude," She said, and then crossed her arms. "Well, that went well. C'mon, Fina, let's go find something to eat. My blood sugar's low." Her temper and the fact that she hadn't recently eaten were not helping her accept the seemingly rash judgments of the businesswoman.

They found a bar and grill on the next block over that was not only open, but also advertising 'help wanted' in glowing magical calligraphy paper outside the windows. The owner, a slightly portly Nasrian, smiled as they entered. "_Hola_," He said, first in Nasrian, then when they gave him a confused look, he switched to Valuan without a hitch. "Welcome," He repeated. "What can I get you young ladies?"

"Is the job offer still open?" Aika asked. Thus, the Silvite from another world and the fiery Blue Rogue from Pirate Isle found themselves a way to accumulate money, and food, at the same time. Things seemed to be going overall well for them, and Fina silently hoped that Vyse was holding up as well.


	3. Important Information

Chapter Three- Important Information

Over the past two weeks, the owner of the Sunmeade Tavern Bar and Grill had seen his business double, or possibly more. The new influence he had been gaining went very far in Nasrad, a place where money was possibly just as, if not more so, important than royal status. Everyone knew the cause of his influx of new, mostly male, clients. The two shipwrecked Blue Rogue girls who had come to work at his place were possibly the best thing to happen to his business.

Fina expertly balanced two trays, one with drinks, another laden with food, backing out of the kitchen with care. Beside her floated Cupil, who was supporting a third tray and mimicking his master's motions. She reached one of the tables on the other side of the building, and set them down with the slight clink of glass. "Here is your order," She said gently, giving a small bow to the rowdy-looking sailors seated around the table.

"Hey, thanks," What looked to be the leader of the band said, his smile missing most of his teeth. "This is becoming our new favorite place to eat when we come back to port."

Although they looked like a rough bunch, at least they were still friendly, in a way that was slightly reminiscent of Aika's manner. They still made the Silvite girl more than a little uncomfortable, especially when she noticed that they were scanning her Nasr robes to check out her figure. She gave another quick bow and retreated, moving across the tables. She let out a startled squeak as she felt a hand momentarily brush her backside and leapt back- she would never get used to that.

The rowdy crowds that patronized the establishment were kept at bay by the bartender/bouncer Aika, who was currently behind the counter, filling a glass of purple loqua for a man who looked vaguely Valuan. When he heard the girl's squeak, he looked up in alarm, and with her sharp eyes, was easily able to spot the guilty man. She glowered and said, "One moment," to the customer, athletically heaving herself over the counter and onto the other side with a single motion. She approached Fina, and said, "Are you alright, Fina?"

The timid girl nodded quietly. "I'm sorry, Aika," She said, bowing her head. "I shouldn't bother you like this every time something happens..."

"Don't worry about it," The redhead said. "He'll be the one who's bothered. In the head. I'll go straighten him out- go on back and get the next order." She let out a sigh as the delicate alien went behind the double-doors to the kitchen again. Surprisingly enough, even after her many 'straightening outs' to the more saucy boys, people still tried things like that with Fina. Oh, well, all she could do was keep at it until they learned.

Rounding on her heel, she stomped over to the table of the offender. "Hey, perv. You think what you did to my friend was funny? You think this is a joke?" The man shook his head to indicate his opinion that the scary redhead menacing him was, in fact, not humorous to him. "I thought not. You try anything with that poor innocent girl and I'll cut off your hand." She paused, leaning in slightly. "And that's not the only thing I'm going to cut off. _Comprende_?" That word of Nasrian she had learned meant 'will you comply?' or 'do you understand?'. The man nodded this time, with great vigor. In a huff yet appeased for the moment, she returned to the bar, put on a happy and buoyant smile, and served the patient man his purple loqua.

The owner, who was also at the bar, refused to comment, because although he agreed with Aika that these boys needed to learn their manners, they were also his main client base, and money was the all-moving factor in Nasrad. He merely turned and watched Fina bring out the next order. When she returned to the kitchen he suddenly spoke up. "Well, I think it's about time."

Aika looked over. "Really? But we've only worked a half-day..." The manager was referring to the paycheck for the services they had rendered for the last two weeks. Usually he let them go at about eight or nine o' clock depending on the number of patrons, but it was only about five in the afternoon, and the sun was still up in full force.

"Meh," The man said, waving his hand idly. "You've already done so much for me. In such a short amount of time you've made my business bloom. Fina, come up here," He said into the back, and a moment later she emerged to stand next to Aika. "Like I was saying, I really appreciate how you've helped me out. I'm going to give you the pay for a full month's work, and I also want you to have this." He pulled out a small ring. "This is a Slayer's Ring. I got it a while back, but it's not really helpful to me. It boosts your attack, so you can deal with any monsters or Valuans."

At that moment, before they could thank him for his generosity, a mature voice interjected. "My, Rukil... you've got a pair of very pretty ladies working here." Aika turned around, expecting the usual quality of patron to be needing a good fist to the face, but instead saw a handsome man in an expensive-looking red coat leaning over the counter. He gave a sly smile to both of them, and Fina began to turn a particular shade of red.

"Gilder, you old scoundrel," Rukil decried, "You can look, but you can't touch! Especially Red, she'll teach you the meaning of temper." The two old friends shared a boisterous chuckle.

"Hey, they just stopped working here, right?" So the man had been listening in a little. Aika admitted she was a bit curious to learn more about this man. He looked like an Air Pirate, and suddenly she remembered him from the Wanted Poster they had seen the last time they visited Pirate Isle, over a month ago. _Gilder the Unfettered, huh?_ "Don't get so overprotective."

"Some things never change," The owner said with a wistful nod. "You never were one to resist a pretty face." He turned back towards the girls. "Aika, Fina, you be careful out there! Take good care of yourselves, and visit me sometime." He handed over the 4000 _rhira_, which was nearly the equivalent of 10,000 gold pieces standard, and the Slayer's Ring. Aika pocketed all of it greedily.

"With this much cash," The redhead noted reverently, "We can definitely buy a small skiff and get out." She put out her gloved hand, which the middle-aged man shook. "Thanks for everything, Mr. Rukil! You can bet on seeing us again."

Fina bowed to him deeply, and said, "Thank you very much." Cupil chirped out a few friendly-sounding noises as well. Turning, they made their way out onto the street and pointed themselves towards the city's vast Docks District, where there was sure to be an economy-priced airship waiting for them.

The gentle platinum-blonde girl reflected on their recent 'vacation'- they hadn't had much inconvenience, except the ever-present stress of worry about Vyse and his situation, and Aika had become her temporary tutor, educating her as best as the Blue Rogue could about Arcadia, it's people, and especially it's odd customs. Everything was still odd and overwhelming for her, but her friend had been a steady source of support.

As they walked through the streets that were getting familiar, Aika found her hand in Fina's, and didn't protest. Her thoughts were on Vyse, Drachma, Valua, the Gigas, and also Gilder, the mysterious Blue Rogue she had just met in a bar.

There was still one aspect of education that Aika had been reluctant to give her. Every time she broached the subject of love and sex, her redheaded friend grew very embarrassed, although she couldn't see why. After a few tries, she had left it alone, but tonight, which, if their plans all went well, was to be their last night in Nasrad before they set out to find Vyse, she planned to try one last time. Most of the patrons that looked her over were obviously interested in it, and something so popular had to be pleasant enough.

In her training at the Great Silver Shrine for her mission, her commanders, the Elders, hadn't thought it necessary to give her Sex Education, and once when she brought it up they dismissed the whole concept out of hand. She would never want to go against the Elders, _of course_, but... how did she know if she didn't try for herself?

Her planning was interrupted as Aika spoke up. "How about that one?" She looked over to where her friend was pointing, at a small Nasrian sloop that was suspended in the air next to one of the marble docking platforms, and had a squat old lady standing next to it. A sign with the price of the ship hung over the side, and it's name was lettered in intricate Nasrian: the _Aventura_. It was exactly 3000 _rhira_.

It put the Blue Rogue in mind of that old merchant that they had escorted from Sailor's Island, in the course of which she had her first ship battle, and along with Drachma and Vyse, beat the feared Black Pirate Baltor.

_Drachma.._. Thoughts for the lost old fisherman made her sad, as her last image was of him floating away from her amongst the burning hulk of his ship, the _Little Jack_.

Fina replied quietly, breaking her remembrance, "Well, you know much more about such things than I do, Aika, however, it does appear to be within our means, and looks like it's sturdy enough." The sleek and artistic Nasr design of the wooden skiff made it seem attractive enough, and it floated steadily and with power. The only thing of possible concern was it's lack of cannons, but that was not a deal-breaker, as the ability to defend yourself made ships more of a target and cost significantly more than they had.

"You like, yes?" The dealer said, rubbing her hands together. Her Valuan wasn't merely broken, but rather shattered and destroyed. "3000 _rhira_. Good ship. Go far. Cheap cheap."

Aika smiled and took out the appropriate money, handing it over. The owner counted through the Nasrian currency several times, and then officially relinquished control of the sloop to the the girls. _Aventura_ was theirs. The old lady took her leave, hobbling down the way and off to a purpose they neither knew nor were overtly concerned about. Aika turned to Fina. "Alright. We'll relax for the rest of today, get some good rest and food, some equipment with the spare change, and tomorrow we head out for Vyse." Fina nodded, and they turned and departed.

Returning to the street with the Inn in it, they were about to pass it up when they noticed an alarming sight. An elderly man laid on the street, looking distressed. Aika ran up to him, kneeling beside him. "Sir! Sir, are you alright?"

"Ugh..." He mumbled weakly, panting, "Starving... thirsty... need food and water... uhh.."

The redhead looked up at Fina, who was standing above them and looking dismayed as well. "Alright, Fina. Change of plans. C'mon, help me lift this guy up. Don't worry, sir, just hang on and we'll help you out." With their combined efforts they managed to get the dusty old man up to their room and offered him a seat. Retrieving water from the faucet of the bathroom and some food from their pockets, they fed him.

After he had eaten enough and gotten rehydrated, he looked up at both of them. His skin was the tanned tone of a Nasrian, and he had balding gray hair and a slight mustache. His eyes were tired and worn out. He spoke up in a raspy Valuan. "Thank you... my name is Pedro. I don't know how I can repay your kindness."

"That's alright," Aika dismissed, "Don't give it a second thought. Blue Rogues always help out people."

"Oh, you're an air pirate?" Pedro said, pausing and reaching into his weathered and nearly ancient jacket. He retrieved a piece of parchment that seemed to go with the rest of him- torn and dirty. "I can't do much to repay you, but please accept this as a small token..." He handed her the paper.

Aika's eyes went a little wider than usual. "What's this? It looks like a map."

"I... I used to be a sailor," Pedro said, looking down at his feet. "I used to travel with my best mate, Gonzales. One day, we were fortunate enough to stumble across this... '_Daccat's Map_'."

Par for the course with Fina, she didn't recognize the name. "Daccat?"

"Indeed," The old man replied. "Nearly five hundred years ago, a great Air Pirate terrorized the whole world. He was named Daccat. Legend tells of a secret cache, left behind when he passed away, that stored all of his treasure. '_Daccat's Island_'. Notice that half of the map is missing... it was with Gonzales, we both agreed to look for it together some day... right after we found it, we were attacked by Black Pirates. We lost, and had to abandon our ship. I don't know what happened to him... but I ended up here, in Nasrad, waiting. I've been waiting... for such a long time, for him..." He shook his head and sighed. "I don't think I'll ever see him again."

"That's very sad," Fina said, empathetic to the man's sorry tale. She put a gentle hand on his hunched shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"Now, I'm far too old to be off searching for buried treasure..." Pedro gave a wheezy laugh. "But you two are young, and full of life. I'm sure Gonzales would have wanted you to find the treasure." He stood up. "Thank you again for saving me. I hope that Daccat's bounty will serve you well if you do find it." After exchanging pleasantries, he bowed, and using a cane, walked down the hallway and to the steps, disappearing from sight.

"This is amazing," Aika said. "With the treasure, we can get a real ship, one that we can use to find Vyse with! And so much more!" Aika was in treasure-mode, and even if the Silvite would have had a reason to try and stop her, she didn't think it would be wise. "Tomorrow we'll look for Daccat's Island! For now, we've still got shopping to do!"

As they proceeded down the staircase of the Inn, they passed Gilder. The man gave a curt bow to them and a wink before proceeding upwards. He was going to meet with his friend, who he had arrived with in Nasrad a few hours earlier. Going to Room 407, he opened the door, to find Vyse sitting on the bed, examine the torn and weathered map in his hands.

"Yo," He said, walking up next to him. "Hey, Vyse, we just got here and already you've got your nose buried in a map. C'mon, have some fun, buddy!" Vyse did not answer, so he looked over his shoulder at what was so interesting. His eyes went wide. "What... how'd you get that map?"

"Remember Gonzales?" Vyse asked, his voice subdued and mood intensely sober. "On his body, I found this."

Gilder, being a Blue Rogue and finding that knowledge not only saved lives and changed worlds but also tended to impress the ladies, was well-versed in lore, and knew the legend of Daccat well. "That map looks like the one that's supposed to lead to Daccat's Island! It's said that he traveled the entire world, and saw all six Moons with his own eyes. When he kicked over finally, he had all his stuff buried in a small island somewhere. _This_ is _that_ map! Vyse, you certainly know how to pick your loot."

"How do you know it's real?" Vyse said with a frown. Unlike in fiction, his father had told him that many people faked or copied treasure maps in order to mislead enthusiastic collectors into bad situations, or just got things wrong a lot of the time.

"Look at that mark on the corner," The dashing Gilder said, pointing with his gloved hand. "That's the seal of Daccat. It's not easy to duplicate, at all. It's no fake... Vyse, this is an honest-to-the-Moons treasure map!" He looked up into Vyse's eyes, the wanderlust taking hold of him. "We have to get moving right away."

"I'm sorry, what was that about meeting women and having fun?" Vyse asked mockingly.

Gilder scoffed. "What's more important, the treasure of the greatest pirate in the history of humanity? Or women? ... Besides, with Daccat's Treasure, we can get more women. Come on, let's go!"

"Fine, fine," The teenager replied. "But first we gotta warn Nasr. If we don't do anything, Valua's going to take them by surprise, which is bad for us because the Nasrians are the only ones with a prayer of projecting a military force to stop them from crushing all the nations into tiny specks of dust." With a little more prodding, the two Blue Rogues set out, heading for the center of town and the enormous skyline profile of the Nasultan's Palace.

They reached the outer defense of the Palace, and twin soldiers stood a vigilant guard on the golden-plated gates that were locked shut. "Hold it," The shorter of the brown-clad troopers thundered, "This here's the Palace of the Nasultan, ruler of the Nasr Kingdom. Unless you're on diplomatic business, his Highness wishes not to be visited at this hour."

"Nasultan?" Vyse echoed, blinking. "... nevermind. Anyway, we've got _really_ important business with the Nasultan guy! I have information regarding the Valuan Armada! Let me through to him right away!"

The soldiers were slightly taken aback by this. "What? Valua?" The Valuans and the Nasrians had been complete enemies for as long as memories went back. The Nasrians had been rebellious enough to defy the imperialistic policies of the Yellow Continent that sat surprisingly close, and ever since a dark cloud had hung over their relations. About the time Vyse was born, Valua and Nasr had gone to war, and although it ended in a stalemate, many people died on both sides. "Well, if you've got information on the Valuans, we'll take you to him! Follow me!" They opened the gates and ushered the Air Pirates forward, towards the grand palace directly ahead.

Up and through a wide, pure alabaster path they went, across twin fortified walls and passing brigades of vigilant Nasr soldiers who were training and practicing, they got a sense of security against Valua that felt wonderful after being hunted by their Armada across the known world.

The Nasultan Palace was centered in the heart of this complex, an enormous and stately building whose two enormous doors slowly opened to admit them into the grand reception hall and up a flight of golden steps. Royal guards, advisors, and government workers filled the grand hallways of the capital building, and painting and fine art hung off the well-cleaned walls. This picture of wealth and sophistication, unlike Valua's royal palace, seemed to fit well with it's well-maintained, massive and beautiful city that grew out from the center like a pentagon.

In good time, they found themselves in the room of the Nasultan himself. The portly man was reclining back as two skimpily-dressed yet well-developed female servants fanned him indolently with large green leaves bigger than they were. The surroundings were all suited, of course, to the commander of the world's second most powerful forces. "I shall fetch a translator at once," One of the royal aides said in perfect Valuan, his voice echoing in the huge chamber.

"Ahaha," Jovially laughed the Nasultan. "No need for all of that, Assef. Your Lord knows his languages, that's for sure. So, I am told you are the air pirate who escaped the Grand Fortress recently, freeing your entire crew from the chopping block... interesting. And you... are Gilder." Nothing more needed to be said of Vyse's companion, as his reputation was lovingly crafted from years of behavior and actions. The few women present shuddered visibly, but it was in a good way. "What do you want of me, Blue Rogues?"

"Sir, we have discovered that the Armada's preparing to attack Nasrad," Vyse said seriously, taking a step forward. "They're already gathering their forces for the offensive. I think they want to start another war."

The ruler of the lands bathed in the Red Moon's light laughed again, and when he calmed down, "You went through all the effort to tell us... the Valuans want to attack? Yes, I think we got the message from generations of pure hatred. Nonetheless, your concern for Nasr, and your actions against Valua, have not gone unnoticed. You have the thanks of me, and all of my people."

"... That's it?" Gilder blinked. "All due respect, but, um... shouldn't you be assembling your fleet for a counter-attack, or at least marshaling the army up to defend the city?"

"Doesn't look like you understand the situation, Gilder the Unfettered," The Nasultan replied. "Mountains and the Great Barrier Reef prevent western and eastern entry to our fair city. The South Dannel Straight is lined with our ships, and no fleet ever built can survive assaulting that position. The North Dannel is clogged up with the Maelstrom, a storm so severe and long-lasting that my advisors tell me it's officially a sky-rift now. The only physically possible way to assault Nasrad is from the South Dannel, which, is again, where Fleet Admiral Karzhai has our best battle squadrons on full alert. We are quite safe."

Vyse frowned. "But... Your Majesty... you shouldn't underestimate Galcian's cunning, or the power of the Armada. Maybe you should alert your military, or do something to give the people a warning. Innocent lives could be lost if Valua gets to you somehow."

"It is not needed at all," The ruler again denied. "Nasr and all the children of Nasr are under the protection of the great Red Moon. The Valuans can not touch us. Besides, if a kid like yourself managed to break through their strongest fortification, maybe the Armada is loosing some of it's razor edge!" He broke out once more into uproarious laughter. The advisors in the room laughed politely as well.

"It's no use," Gilder said aside to Vyse, sighing and shaking his head. "He's not listening to anything we're saying. Let's stop wasting our time here, and get out looking for that treasure."

Vyse glowered at the confident Nasultan as the portly ruler completely forgot their existence and went back to indulging himself in comforts and delights. "For the sake of all the people he's supposed to be protecting, I really hope he's right, but he just seems way too overconfident. Dad always used to tell me that the fleets with the biggest heads get tripped easiest. Too top heavy." Having failed to warn of the impending war, they made their way back to the small lifeboat that had carried them ever since they'd had to abandon ship...

0-0

Gilder laughed, reclining in his couch. "Now there's a tale! Seventeen and you've already kicked three Admirals' asses and busted your entire crew out of the Valuan Capitol." He seemed much more interested in his quest to get the Moon Crystals than in his recent stay at Crescent Island. "And I'll agree with you there- Valua doesn't need the keys to any superweapons, thanks. It's hard to have fun when you're dead." He paused for a moment. "Alright, let's get moving. You have the con."

Vyse blinked. "You serious?" A stranger had rescued him from the deserted island, and now was offering to let him fly for the first time in far to long, in his fair and balanced opinion.

"Anyone who can do all that at such an age knows his way around a ship," The rogue replied. "Go ahead, grab a hold of the wheel and get us going. We're bound for Nasrad, capitol of the Red Continent, due south on your control board." The _Claudia_ resumed it's journey across the skies, nearing the coastline of the continent. Silence reigned on the bridge as Gilder buried himself in deep thought and Vyse concentrated on acquainting himself with the steering mechanism of the overly-sensitive airship.

The silence was broken by Gilder's Vice Captain. David entered the room, pushing the door aside loudly. "Sir, the lookout reports a ship has appeared at Lagrange off the port bow. It's suspicious sir... pink. Very pink."

"Pink?" Gilder echoed. "What the... oh. Oh, shit." He turned to look out the window, where the silhouette of a sailing ship about twice their size was growing larger. His suspicions had been confirmed- it was the _Primrose_. ".. damnit. Not today. How the bloody Hell does she follow us? I mean, the sky can't really be that small..."

"What? Who? Following?" Vyse blinked, totally lost. "Is it Black Pirates?"

"No," The captain replied quietly, in a defeated tone of voice. "If only it were just a bunch of bloodthirsty assholes out to kill us and dump our rotting corpses into Deep Sky... no, Vyse, we've got something far worse coming up for us." He looked up, one eye open, and said, in a tone that left no room for interpreting his feelings about the subject, "_Clara_."

Again the teenager found himself blinked. "Clara?" It sounded like a normal girl's name, and that would explain the undeniably feminine touch visited on the approaching ship. "Um.. why don't you like her?"

"Because _she_ likes him, a _lot_," David noted, crossing his arms and failing to stop a an amused smirk from visiting the visible part of his face. "_A lot_. Think, becoming a Blue Rogue, buying a ship, and recruiting an all-girls crew for the express purpose of following Gilder around until he surrenders and declares an undying love for her."

"I'd rather die, first," Gilder said dryly. Vyse got the impression he meant it, too. A moment's silence fell over the bridge as he pondered, and then he snapped his fingers. "Alright, here's the plan. Initiate Operation: Clara. I'll head out in the skiff for Nasrad, you guys sail out for the abandoned islands, and draw her off. We'll rejoin sometime in the future."

David nodded solemnly. "I understand. I'll inform the men." He walked off the bridge.

The indolent thrill-seeker stood up. "Well, Vyse, sorry you couldn't enjoy more time on the _Claudia_, she's a very nice little ship. C'mon, we're for the skiff hangar. If we don't want her to notice the launch then we've got to do it before she pulls alongside and tosses boarding lines up."

Vyse said, "Um... okay... but you're the captain. Shouldn't you, like, stay with your ship or something?"

"Hey, I'm always in search of excitement, and titles matter nothing to me," He replied, smiling charismatically. "Besides, we get to see what kind of fun and women Nasrad has to offer, ne? Let's go."

Thusly, within minutes he found himself floating away from the two ships that were now flying side-by-side, onboard Skiff Three, with Gilder next to him, manning the controls of the ship and pointing them towards the Nasrian capitol city. _This guy's interesting_, Vyse thought with a grin. _Aika, Fina, wherever you are, at least I'm in motion now. Wait for me..._

0-0

Meanwhile, unaware that their beloved Vyse was incredibly close, the girls went on a shopping spree, obtaining a new boomerang for Aika made of fine-quality Nasrian steel and infused with blue moonstones, food rations for five days of travel, healing and attack magic crystals, and other gear which would aid them in their travels.

After visiting their final shop, they saw that the sun was preparing to set. The warm atmosphere of Nasr was alight with red and orange coloring, and they made their way back to the Inn to rest up. Entering their room, Aika sighed, sitting down on the bed. She was still excited and didn't think she would be able to sleep for a while.

Fina decided now would be a good time to ask her. She sat down next to Aika and turned to look at her. "Aika... can I ask you a question?" She looked away shyly.

"Anything," The redhead replied with a friendly smile. "As usual. What do you want to know, Fina?" She turned as well, sitting Nasrian-style, with her legs folded under her kind of like a bow or pretzel, on the comfortable bed that had been her own for the past two weeks.

"Can we... kiss?" Fina opened and then closed her eyes, and saw Aika, who looked both taken aback and rather embarrassed. She did not realize that a struggle of truly titanic proportions was going on inside the boisterous girl's tangled mind.

_Yesssssssssssssssssss_, one side of her mind hissed. This was the same side that wanted to do similar things to Vyse himself when they found him.

_You shouldn't take advantage of her_, another side said pointedly, piercing the first's hiss of eagerness. _Even though she's your age, she knows practically nothing about your world... and certainly nothing about this. Remember, she had to ask you about Valuan bra sizing._

_She's askin' for it! Literally! You know you want to feel that soft, creamy skin under your fingers, Aika..._

_She probably doesn't understand. Aika, she's not like that, it's obvious she likes Vyse like you do. Explain to her, and she won't want to any more. I'll guarantee it._ Having now decided on a course of action, she opened her mouth. For once the loud pirate girl was finding it hard to speak. "Um... Fina... you want me to kiss you?"

"Yes," She replied, nodding her head innocently. "Several of the men at the tavern we worked at wanted me to kiss them, and when I replied that I didn't know what a kiss was, they thought I was joking around." The Silvite girl bowed her head.

"Fina, a kiss is..." She paused. _How do I explain this?_ "A kiss is something... kind of intimate. It's something people who like each other do-"

"And I like you," Fina chirped. "So... can you show me?" Only she could be asking another girl for a kiss because she liked her and still have that hopeful, pure-innocent expression across her beautiful features.

Aika blanched. Her resistance and self-control were fighting an uphill battle, and probably wouldn't hold out at that point. _Do eet, do eet_, urged the darker side of her brain. _Show her this Arcadian thing called kissing! Muahah! Then we'll show her some other things, oh yes, we will..._ Finally, she gave in, and said, "... Alright. I'll show you. But just, you know, a small kiss. Nothing big."

And will you shut up, Aika demanded of herself, frowning slightly. _Just because, you know... I want to... doesn't mean she does._

_You've been waiting too long, Aika! I bet you that Silvites don't have many taboos against certain preferences of yours. Besides, she needs to learn about these things sooner or later!_

Somehow, her more devilish impulses were sounding a lot more reasonable to the besieged mind of the Blue Rogue._ There is nothing stopping you. Do eet. You and I both know you want to, so very much..._

_I'm going to Deep Sky for this..._

_It's worth it._


	4. Education

Chapter Four- Education

**WARNING. WARNING**. Lemon ahead. Homosexual lemon ahead, too. If you have an irrational fear of lesbians, I suggest you leave now and DO not leave an anonymous flame, I will delete it posthaste. If you simply don't want to read this sort of thing, that's fine, I respect that. I'm making progress on the next chapter anyway.

The rating of this story has officially escalated to M. And don't worry, it won't get removed- I've seen far more intense shit than this small dabble make it past the censors.

Methinks that maybe Lynx-kun can learn something from this chapter. ;P

0-0

They were now sitting very close on the bed, and Aika leaned in further. Fina waited patiently, wondering what she was going to do. She never expected her friend to softly press their lips together. Something that came as less of a surprise is that she began to enjoy it, closing her delicate eyes and letting her friend take the lead.

Aika found more of her restraint gone as she tasted the delicious lips of the innocent girl, and reached out, wrapping her arms around her and pulling them in closer, deepening the kiss. Fina felt a little startled as their bodies met, but was engrossed in the kiss as passionate feelings began to release from the hotheaded pirate. When the girl's tongue reached out and began to probe her mouth she got yet another surprise, shivering gently and allowing it to intensely explore every single inch of her mouth.

Urged on by a warmth inside of her, she mimicked the action with her own tongue, gently running it through Aika's mouth. The islander tasted like strawberries. Fina had always liked strawberries. Aika had not been expecting it, but loved the sensations filling her, and pulled her even closer. For an unknown length of time they sat there, sharing their first kiss, and eventually Fina wrapped her own arms around Aika.

Then the kiss ended. Aika pulled back slightly, panting and still holding Fina. "That," She concluded between deep breaths, "Is a kiss." Fina nodded in breathless understanding.

"Thank you," She replied, smiling, her face beet-red. "It just feels so wonderful... like nothing I've ever felt before..." _No wonder those mean customers wanted it_. "I'm sorry, but... can we do it... again?" She asked, looking up hopefully into the eyes of the redhead. _This feeling... what is this feeling inside of me? _

Aika chuckled slightly. "Of course we can. Come here." Closing the small distance between their faces, they embraced in a second tongue-kiss, playing with each other's mouths as Aika stroked the beautiful platinum-blonde hair of Fina. The Red Moon shone through the window, the only light on them as they sat like that. Even breathing through their noses, eventually and with the greatest reluctance they broke apart again, although the redhead made sure to still be holding her.

"Fina... I just..." The dam of her feelings had been cracked and fractured, and soon was to fail completely, like words failed her. _Ah, to hell with it. Tonight is the night_. "I love you, too," She finally managed, attempting to banish the natural feelings of trepidation from her mind. "And... I want to show you, and teach you." In a moment of rare and intense earnestness, she found herself looking into her entrancing eyes.

They hadn't known each other very long by most standards, but in their adventures they had begun to develop the sort of bond that lasts with people their entire life. In the absence of the third part of their bond, Vyse, it seemed only natural that their affections would turn towards each other twice as strong, until their friend was back with them.

The Silvite reflected back on her plan, which was merely to get Aika to explain a kiss to her, so she could give one to show her affection._ My design has definitely evolved... but I rather think I like it that way. You always did surprise me..._

Fina nodded again. "Very well, Aika..." She gave a gentle smile, one of absolute trust. "Go ahead, then."_ I just can't believe there's anything better than your kiss..._ Aika smiled back, an expression of her desire. Moving back in, she kissed her again, but this time broke it quickly, and kissed her on her neck, suckling and nibbling at the gentle flesh under her lips. The Silvite squeaked in surprise. "A-Aika? What are you doing?"

"Teaching you," She replied, her mischievous tone out in full force again. Reaching around Fina, she skillfully untied the belt holding her foreign robes together. Without this support, they began to slide down, exposing the delicious skin of her collarbone. Aika began sucking there as well, and Fina began to get relax, sliding into the pleasurable abyss created by Aika's mouth, and her fingers, which were busy exploring every part of her body like her tongue had done to the warm interior of her mouth. Conscious thought was no longer possible in her mind, and so she did not notice the gentle motions that helped her robe all the way off. _I stand corrected... this feels indescribable!_

Cupil hovered above the two girls, watching this all with his trademark curiosity. As Fina's mind fogged over with pleasure, the small shape shifting entity's telepathic link caused it to start squeaking and wobbling in the air. Both of the girls ignored him for the moment, much too involved. Fina's entire world consisted basically of her and Aika's mouth and hands.

That wonderful mouth was kept mobile, trailing sensations across her upper body. She turned her attentions down, and found an unwelcome obstacle covering the large mounds of flesh crowned by nipples that were now quite hard. Fina had taken well to wearing bras once Aika had been able to buy her several pairs and figure out the Nasrian sizing system, and for now she cursed her decision to make her friend more 'modest'. Her fingers fumbled with the foreign clasp in the back for several moments.

Fina, briefly recovering, thought of an expedient. "Cupil," She said quietly, "Knife-form. Cut it." _I have several more, and speed is of the essence..._ The Silvite beauty found new sensations running through her, and was eager to continue their spread. Obeying quickly, her small pet had soon sliced cleanly through the bra without marking her skin. It fell to gravity's pull, revealing her naturally impressive assets.

The redheaded pirate's eyes traversed down to examine the twin peaks of Fina's exposed pink nipples, that stood out loudly against her ghostly-pale skin. Her breasts were undoubtedly very full, and larger than her own, which made her a little envious and very excited about what she was about to do to them.

She licked her lips, and then got down to work, engulfing her left breast and nearly unhinging her jaw in the process. She drank in the innocent girl's gasp at the heat on her sensitive skin, and then her tongue began to lick and gently flick the nipple, running across it and leaving a thin trail of warm saliva.

Never in her entire life had Fina felt such things, and she wrapped her arms around Aika's head, holding her in a place she very much wanted to be and moaning. _Why would the Elders hide such a wonderful thing from me? This... Aika is doing... so _good

Not wanting the right nipple to feel left out, Aika brought up one of her hands from it's rapid explorations, and began to gently tweak her other nipple, playing with it and feeling her lover squirm. A strange heat began to make it's presence felt between the Silvite's thighs, and she instinctively knew what it was she wanted. "Aika... Aika... please..." Aika was feeling the same thing, but she was expecting it.

Aika slowly removed herself from suckling on the girl's nipple and looked up, grinning wickedly, but with an innocent tone like hers. "Please what, Fina? Why, whatever do you want from me?" Her free hand drifted down her stomach, and towards the warm valley between her legs, going so slow the pace was obviously designed to stretch it out.

"I want... I want _you_," She admitted, trapped in a seeming eternity, her mind overcome with a base animal lust that was yet another of the strange, new, _good_ things that this Arcadian girl was showing her.

"As you wish." She crushed their lips together again in a smoldering, passionate kiss, then backed up and lightly pushed her bare shoulder. Fina offered no resistance, landing on her back on the soft and welcoming mattress. The Blue Rogue took a moment to simply run her eyes over the stunning goddess literally laid out before her, clad only in a small pair of cotton panties, but otherwise naked. She had always admired Fina's beautiful, feminine body, and now it was _hers_ for the taking. Ripping off the belt from her own robes, she shook the bothersome clothing off.

This obviously was also Aika's first time with anyone else. She had had many dreams of the like about Vyse back in her days on Pirate Island, dreams she never told anyone about. Luckily, she also knew exactly where to touch a woman to get her excited, especially after such dreams, so she wasn't really at a loss for what to do. Instinct guided where intellect failed.

Contact. The friction between their bodies as Aika slid over her made Fina shiver again, nearly imperceptible. As she was slightly taller, she rested her own smaller chest directly over the Silvite's. Propping herself up on her knees over her, she slid off her own underwear, followed by Fina's panties, and began to rub against her with her knee. This induced a series of moans from the woman below her, who wrapped her arms around her waist and moved in time with the knee, desperate action appearing as more heat built up within her.

Her physical conditioning paid off. Using only one hand to support herself and half of Fina's weight as she clung so close to her, she moved her other hand down, squeezing the taught behind of her love. The friction she had been building went away for several seconds, and she was moaning in complaint when the feeling hit her.

A single of her strong, calloused, yet amazingly gentle fingers had moved on from the anus, moving across Fina's wide hips and approaching the outer lip of her most delicate and sensitive region. The tip of her finger ran across the small and well-groomed bushel of blonde-white hair around the Silvite's labia, and she found herself directly over the entrance. Taking extra care to go slow and be gentle with her, she inserted the digit.

She had expected that Fina would be wet, and she was not disappointed- her sexual juices lubricated her finger, allowing it a much easier entry to the virgin. The feeling of her penetration and seeing the obvious effects on the girl underneath her got her excited just as much, ragged desire pushing her hand forward.

Every other feeling up to this point seemed pallid in comparison- something warm and solid was _inside_ of her, and she gasped when Aika saw fit to add a second finger down there. "Oh," She cried out, shuddering from pleasure, "Aika... What..." Unable to complete any sentence, she gave up on trying to discover what was in her and again immersed herself totally in the experience.

Her friend began to thrust with her two fingers, relishing as she felt Fina's hot tightness clench around her and saw her hips begin to desperately move back to impale her fingers further into her core.

It didn't take long, then, nor was it much of a surprise as the Silvite passed the point of climax, her mind exploding into nothingness as she cried out her friend's name at the top of her lungs, clenched her whole body, and then fell quietly limp against the sheets of the Nasrian bed. Aika held her, still stroking and nibbling as Fina stared blankly up into the ceiling, only gradually returning to awareness. She gasped in quick, unsatisfying lumps of air every moment or two, her chest rising and falling against the redhead's.

When she was able to gather enough of her mind back together, she said slowly, "Aika... that was amazing... so incredible... I never knew I could feel such things..."

"Sounds like you've lead a deprived childhood," Aika said, chuckling as she gently nuzzled her. "I've been wanting to do that for a while, actually... you're real important to me, Fina. Besides, someone had to educate you, and I got lucky enough to be the girl to do it. So, are you ready for the next stage?"

This question both interested and intimidated her. _What, isn't this enough?_ "N-next stage? Aika, what do you mean?"

"Just relax," Was the reply she got, and it wasn't a difficult wish to fulfill. After her mind-numbing orgasm, she was about as relaxed as one got without going into a comatose state. She curiously watched the islander lift up her head, and press their lips together once more. Another kiss was welcomed, but a strange taste mingled with Aika's tongue, a liquid substance that could only be one thing. She was tasting herself, in the loving girl's mouth.

For some reason, instead of reacting negatively, she found it only aroused her more to do such a thing. Enjoying the heartfelt and total kiss, she found it's end far too quick for her liking, but didn't complain when Aika began to trail her mouth down her body again. This time, she did not stop at the bare breasts but to plant teasing feather-light sensations that sent shivers down her spine, but continued down to her stomach.

"Aika?" She once again breathed, shuddering as warm air tickled and teased her inner lips. Aika didn't respond, taking in the unmistakable heady musk of her love's excitement and adding to it each time she exhaled. Fina's regular scent was exotic and alluring enough, but this more familiar smell compelled her tongue to action. Running it in close circles around the girl's tight entrance induced a near-spasm that made her firmly grip the round hips of her temporary student, holding her in place.

Lapping up greedily her delicious fluids reminded her how horny she was getting, but she stifled those thoughts for a while and turned to selflessly pleasuring Fina. Using her tongue like she had used her fingers earlier got a similar result, and she found it all too easy to drive the girl up to her second orgasm.

Crawling back up, he laid across her again, lovingly waiting until she had recovered enough, feeling the desperate heaving of her chest as it worked to get the air that the Silvite's besieged brain desperately needed. "Okay," Aika said heavily, "Fina... I believe now I've shown you the basics. Now, before I go insane, why don't you try." Even despite her inexperience, she found herself the veteran compared to the timid girl before her.

"M-me?" Fina echoed. She swallowed and nodded, sitting up. "I'll try, Aika..." She shuffled a bit nervously and helped Aika lay down on the bed next to her. "Um..." Cupil floated over and nudged her, making ridiculous lip-smacking noises. "Oh, thank you, Cupil. Of course..." Leaning over the sweaty form of the islander, she pressed their lips together softly. Aika put an arm around her as she leaned into the kiss.

"Uhn..." Aika groaned in discomfort and lust, the problem only enhanced by the tantalizing lips that were touching like a feather her own. "Fina..." _I've waited so Moons-damn long for another person to touch me... to feel me... to pleasure me..._ Deciding to do the same thing that Aika did, she had just reached her breasts, and managed with her assistance to get the bra off without having to cut it this time. Looking over the tanned skin of her slightly smaller breasts, she got to work.

Fina was the greatest accidental tease Aika had ever seen. Each step she took to pleasure Aika was gentle and slow, which made her yearn for more as the heat inside her begged for some release. "Fina... _please_..."

To her relief and expectation, Fina slipped her head down faster, removing the economy panties and quickly reaching the wild and untamed red hairs that surrounded her goal. Daintily, as if sampling a dish, she nipped at Aika's most sensitive skin, her head getting a little foggy from the pirate girl's musk. The islander was no longer able to control herself, wrapping her long and muscled legs around her shoulders and pulling her urgently closer.

Apparently now she had gotten the message, and her tongue began to delve down deeper, into her, as far as it would go, as she tasted the wet core of Aika. The writhing girl under her moaned and squealed in pleasure, sharping and flatting her raspy voice.

In that moment where she felt the tongue hit that single key spot, it was over. Orgasm racked the redhead's body, and she shivered, her mind shutting down and her legs that had surrounded the delicate girl squeezing. Loosening her hold on Fina, she felt her dimly, as through a tunnel, crawling up to lay beside her on the bed. Both of them were sweaty, worn-out, exhausted, and had taken each other to a place neither had been before, but which was certainly the best place to be.

"So..." Aika said sleepily after a while, her breathing finally returning to something approaching normal as she looked over. "... that's sex. It's good."

"I noticed," Fina replied softly, giggling as she drifted off to sleep.


	5. Working Together Separately

Chapter Five- Working Together Separately  


The sun was up over Nasr, joining the Red Moon as it's temporary twin and casting incredible light and heat across the lands. Nasrad was no exception, and the outside temperatures were beginning to climb. Buildings that had been using heaters for the chilled desert nights of the city began to switch to air conditioning, both technologies the people of the sparse continent had achieved quickly in order to have a chance to survive.

Aika and Fina had awoken, packed their equipment up, paid off their tab with the innkeeper, dressed in their original unique dresses that had been repaired, and set out for the docks. They arrived, quickly locating the modest Nasrian sloop that they owned, the ship named the _Aventura_. Climbing aboard the deck, the redhead looked over to Fina. "Sleep well yesterday?"

The Silvite blushed a little, but nodded. "Um.. we certainly had enough activity to tire us out. I slept as a rock." She pulled out the faded shard of Daccat's Map they had received from Gonzales, eager to change the subject. It showed the unique profile of the eastern coast of Valua's main continental mass, but anything further east had been lost along with that part of the map. Small scribbled writing sat on the bottom of the parchment, and she began to narrate while Aika started the engines of the ship. "'The dead will always watch over my treasure. it is located'..."

"Is it located..." Aika echoed, egging her on while she drew up the anchor and prepared the _Aventura_ for it's first flight with it's new pirate owners.

"That's all it says," Fina said, shaking her head. "The rest has been ripped off. How troublesome." Upon examination of Valua, she noticed some sort of icon resting on the farthest-up peninsula of the land. "Hm... it's a skull! Aika, the map has a skull on the coast of Valua. Maybe it's a clue."

"Let's hug the Valuan shore, then," Aika shrugged, turning the wheel and powering up the pectoral fins. They flapped, sending the ship into the air. "Keep your eyes peeled while I pilot the ship. Make sure to look hard, the gloomy clouds are going to make seeing anything pretty difficult."

"Aren't there... Valuans in Valua?" The timid mage asked.

"Well yeah, but they're mostly in the south and center of their continent. The Valuans don't even send out patrols, so there's no one to depopulate the monsters to the north of here. They feel smug enough to leave their coast completely unguarded." The _Aventura_ smoothly flowed over the city, climbing over the rocky desert mountain that dwarfed Nasrad and emerging into the open sky. Turning, she watched the dark cluster of clouds in the distance soon draw near. "Wow... if you think about it, it's really weird. Nasr and Valua hate each other, but they're not twenty kilometers apart at their closest point."

They passed several merchant ships, mostly those with distinct designs of the Red Moon's people. However, it's status as a trade hub meant that foreign designs also appeared in it's airspace. A _Grenadier_-class Naval ship hovered past them. The massive gunship was about five times larger than their ship, and bristling with enormous cannons. It made them feel a little safer, seeing such powerful ships that didn't belong to the Empire.

They were indeed able to get ridiculously close to the coastline of the other continent, flying parallel to it, not not once did they encounter a single ship in the clear blue skies to one side or the stormy torrent in the other. Fina and Cupil diligently kept up the inspection, watching uneventful leagues flow by the bow of the ship. They finally gained some respect for the sheer size of their chief enemy's continent when they had passed more land than Nasr had. The Yellow Continent was enormous.

An hour and large spans of land passed before anything happened. Fina was not paying much attention by now, having been throughly bored and annoyed, which was for her quite a rare event. A glint in the side of her vision caught her full attention, and she spotted a metallic skull over thirty meters long. After being alerted to this very odd sighting, Aika turned the _Aventura_ and headed in, getting close to the large object.

It stuck out obviously from the ground, and upon inspection the recent touch of shovels was discovered in the soil around it. The skull was pointing out into the sky to the north and slightly northeast. Fina blinked. "This must be a part of the clue."

"So, what do we do now?" Aika asked. "I doubt that Daccat buried his loot in Valua. Being buried there would dishonor the riches."

Her mind suddenly put together all the pieces. She turned around, looking at the redhead. "Aika, I think I have it. 'The dead will always watch over my treasure'... look. the skull is pointing outwards, just like the bird and the golden man back in Ixa'taka." Her delicate hand followed the facing of the object just for emphasis.

"If it were that obvious, then the treasure would have been looted hundreds of years ago," The Blue Rogue shook her head. "I mean, this thing is sticking right out of the ground. Come to think of it, why haven't the Valuans found this? I'm sure _some_ of them come out here once in a while."

"I don't think we have any other options besides fly around randomly," Fina replied, bowing her head as if ashamed that she was right.

Aika smiled. "Yeah. Don't worry about it, maybe we're just really lucky." _Or maybe someone else was here recently. Either way, we'd better get a move on_. "Let's align our course for the dead lookout over there and get going." They got back to their ship and turned around, heading straight into the sky. The air around them lightened as they drew away from Valua, the all-encompassing darkness retreating onto the horizon behind them eventually.

The frontier, as the northern skies above Nasr and Valua were called, were for the majority uncharted and completely devoid of civilization. Monsters floated around in schools just like skyfish did elsewhere, and when a group took an interest in the _Aventura_ they boldly swooped onto the deck, forcing them to abandon the helm for several minutes in order to join battle with the creatures.

They did what they could, using magic or special skills whenever possible, as neither of them were truly front line combatants. _I feel the loss of the guys_, Aika thought, blocking another attack from the odd, ghost-like yellow creatures that were called Gravers.

The Gravers floated mysteriously, and when they found a prey, attacked with their bodies in a tackling motion, and they even had some base Yellow Magic skills. Luckily, Aika had been practicing her Delta Shield occasionally during their shipwrecked days in civilization. She had gotten more stamina with it, and now nearly none of the electrical attacks even made it to them. Cupil counterattacked, morphing into a rotating four-pointed star and ripping through enemies like a power-saw. They eliminated the latest swarm of monsters, and took a moment for a breather.

Specks appeared in the distance- at such a range it was impossible to tell what they were, but it was definitely in their course, so they increased their speed to check out the objects. They turned out to be small islands, ranging from a kilometer to fifteen in length and floating at variable distances between the two blankets of clouds above and below the air.

"Abandoned island atolls," Aika noted, leaning out to inspect them a little closer. "One of these might be Daccat's Island! Let me think... the legend says that the island looks like..." She found one in the distance. "That one!" Aiming the ship for what she suspected to be the fabled island, she kicked the engines into full blast, and Fina retreated onto the pilothouse to escape the rippling winds.

_Aventura_ soon drew near the landmass, and an opening in the front of it's coast looked very inviting. Slowing down, they moved in, passing into a small harbor protected by outcroppings that was a tight fit, even for the narrow sloop. Anchoring the ship down and landing it on the edge of the harbor, they turned off the engines, locked the controls, and hurried to debark.

"We found it, we found it," Aika chanted victoriously. "When we get all that treasure, we're going to be the most famous pirates ever! When we find Vyse he's gonna be so impressed by all the shit that we bought him!" Fina followed, giggling quietly. However, Cupil had caught on to the hyperactivity and followed, bouncing around into the sky until he was recalled, timidly withdrawing to his perch off his master's shoulder.

They passed into the shadow of the enormous cliffs around them, but found light tree cover across the island. Prominent right in front of their eyes was an enormous, intricately carved stone bulkhead that covered the entrance, standing as if irrefutable proof that something important sat behind it's massive frame. "This thing is enormous," Aika said, blinking and looking up at it. It's red stone glowed slightly, and was likely not only solid enough to withstand physical attack, but was also enchanted. She could feel it, as a magically adept girl.

Fina pointed to the large stone slab that sat raised above the ground in front of the door. "It looks like that might be the key to opening it..." Gingerly putting a white shoe up to it's worn surface, she placed some of her small weight onto the stone. It exhibited no result. Urged on by this, she stepped up, and Aika leapt up to follow.

Nothing happened for several seconds, and Aika crossed her arms. "Hrmph. This might be tough. Say, why's Daccat being so stingy? Not like you can take the gold with you when you move on..." The ground suddenly shivered around them, and dust flew into the air as the stone fell down to the level of the surrounding ground. "Woah! What was that!" They looked around for a source, but nothing was visible besides what was there before.

"I-I don't know," Fina replied, putting a hand to her mouth. "Um... the door is opening..." The stone tablet lifted itself up, moving it's bulk out of the way to reveal a long, lit and braced tunnel that led off into the interior of the island. "It opened on it's own."

0-0

Gilder and Vyse had not been engaged in the same sort of education that Fina and Aika had, and so had set out about daybreak the previous day. Vyse looked into the dusk sky, sighing as they stood onto the Nasrad docks and felt the air become a slightly more moderate temperature, although he knew this was just a herald to the coming chill. "I'm a pirate without a ship," He said to Gilder, then looked over to him. "Hey, if we do find the treasure, I'm going to use my share to buy a ship, alright?" He was still serious and sober, out of his usual jovial character.

Skiff Three floated gently besides them, it's sails retracted into it's redwood masts. The older and more seasoned whimsical air pirate turned to look at the teenager and smiled. "Heh. That's why I like you, Vyse, you don't give up. Hell, you can use my boat, we can look for em together until my boys get back with the _Claudia_. Knowing Clara it could be days."

Abruptly changing the subject, Gilder recited the faded writing on Gonzales's part of Daccat's Map. "'... to the north of the City of Sands. When the two pieces become whole, the way to the treasure will be known.'... I think the City of Sands refers to the capital city of Nasr in the Old World. It was called Oasis and sat right here, where they built over the rubble after the Rains of Destruction. So all we gotta do is head north. No problem for my skiff, it's made by the same guys who did the _Claudia_. A work of art."

"Alright, let's get moving," Vyse said, leaping aboard and making a soft thump as his weight landed on the elegant rust-red deck of the airship. Gilder followed, and together they unfurled the long black sails. He licked his finger and held it up. "Perfect, we got a wind coming in from the south," The teenager nodded. "Let's use it while we can, and conserve our fuel." That was the purpose of sails, after all. A ship under full moonstone power wouldn't last more than a day or two, as evidenced by _Little Jack_'s tumultuous journey through the small but rough South Ocean a while ago.

Pulling away from the harbor on it's own power, the small lifeboat turned to the north and they got underway, taking turns every once in a while over who would fight the monsters and who would say to man the helm. Gilder volunteered for the first shift, stepping out into the deck as three Loopers appeared, floating towards him quickly. "Ugh," He groaned. "I hate these things."

He pulled out his weapons while Vyse half-watched the ship and half-watched the fighting. To the teenager's surprise, he wielded twin pistols that were not all that different from the one his father used. He clicked back the hammers on the six-shooters enchanted with explosive red magic, and aimed them for the general area of the enemy. "Come on," He taunted, "Dance for me."

Normal bullets did considerable damage to a target, but the Red moonstone enchantment actually made them into small explosions which slightly scored the deck and annihilated all opposition very quickly. Nothing could stand, nor endure long enough to exploit his reloading needs. Vyse watched admiringly, and said, "Wow, Gilder, you're pretty tough for a ladies man."

"Sometimes the husbands get jealous," He replied over the sounds of explosions and the cries of the hapless monsters, grinning mischievously. Their journey went like so, Vyse slicing and Gilder shooting any creatures that were foolish enough to board their craft.

Their course had drifted slightly, and they found themselves seeing the darkened clouds of Valua's coastline to their left. Even in a night as black as pitch, they could easily tell it was Valuan skies. Their air was an entirely different magnitude of dark and hopeless. Gilder said, "Let's get a little closer, Vyse. The Valuans don't patrol this far north at all, but the land will help us keep our bearings in the night." Following this tip, they began to hug the coastline, still proceeding north and still catching plenty of wind in their wildly flapping and expanding sails.

Now they contended with frontier species as well as any monsters that wandered the coasts of Valua, and so Gilder switched to Silver magic for his firearms, which worked well on every type of enemy, as the Silver Moon regulated life and death. Vyse's cutlasses couldn't be changed so easily, and still maintained the dull sheen of their red enchantment as he sliced into floods of creatures.

Vyse was finally able to kill a Looper, scoring a nick on it's ring, which apparently was what kept it magically afloat, for without it it flopped onto the deck helplessly, and he had no remorse in violently gutting it. The Looper, and it's offshoot species, inhabited a majority of Arcadia, and were possibly the most annoying yet potentially deadly obstacles to any air voyage. They breathed fire and depending on their species employed different colors of magic, and were nearly impossible to hit. Legend said that even Daccat had to use an artillery barrage from his flagship to get a school of them out of his island.

A glint caught his eye to the side, reflected off the inner glass of his skyglass, and he wheeled about to peer at the mountains of the Valuan shore, ready to spot the Gunboat's searchlight passing over them or the flash of cannons. He found instead a small glow reflecting the distant strokes of lightning, and it looked metal in nature, buried in the yellowish sickly soil of the Yellow Continent. He squinted, magnifying it. "Hey, Gilder, hold up for a second."

"What's up?" Gilder asked, leaning out the pilothouse.

"There's something on the shore," Vyse replied. "Something... metal, and kinda buried. Look. Every time the lightning in the distance flashes... there! See it?! Bring us about and let's get a closer look at it. Might be a Discovery, or something else."

"Alright." The Pirate Skiff was now under it's own power, traversing around the wind and coming to a hover several meters above the ground. Vyse leapt off, landing easily and walking over to the tarnished metal surface. "What is it?" He called from the boat.

The teenager examined it, and said, "I don't know! It looks buried! Toss me a shovel!" Every ship had basic equipment like that, especially lifeboats, in order to help stranded sailors construct shelter, or, if the horrid need had arisen, bury those who did not survive the crash. A small spade came over the side, landing with a dull thump next to Vyse.

He picked it up and got to work, moving the dirt around the object, and uncovering more it. It was enormous, and after a while he had only unearthed a small part of it. "Hey! Come down and help me!"

"Hey, Vyse, I have a strict no-work-unless-necessary policy. Unless there's a hot woman or some gold in that thing, you're going to have a hard time convincing..." Vyse took a pile of dirt in his shovel and threw it up, the cluster of yellow soil flying into the cabin. "Agh! Ow! My coat! Alright, alright! I surrender! Let me get the other spade..." Gilder, still complaining, landed the ship and got out to help.

They made a hurried job of it, but it still took them quite some time. When all was said and done, they had dug nearly twenty meters of dirt off of the truly enormous iron structure, which was obviously fashioned in the likeness of an enormous old pirate skull. It was rusted in some places, and bore many signs of extreme age. "So..." Gilder spoke up, staring at the behemoth that they had managed to mostly dig up. "... What the hell is this thing, anyway? It's just a skull..."

Vyse frowned, memory of his time in Ixa'taka floating to the surface of his mind. "Maybe it's a clue. Pirates like us associate with skulls, right? So Daccat probably did too. Maybe this is an entry to something... or a guide..."

"If it was something even remotely obvious," Gilder pointed out, "Then someone else over the span of history would've probably found the treasure by now. It's probably something so painfully obscure we're going to break our brains just trying to figure it out..."

"What _I_ can't figure out is, this thing must have been buried for ages... why didn't anyone spot it like we did? Lightning is frequent enough out here..." Vyse folded his arms.

"It might have been partially unearthed by the _Mes De Tormentas_..." When Gilder saw the confused look Vyse gave him, he elaborated. "It's Nasrian. Literally, the Month of Storms. It's a weather phenomenon that happens every seventy-five years in this region. You see, normally, the rain-shadow of the Valuan mountains prevents much precipitation from reaching this way, or towards Nasr. Hence it's fiery desert status. Now, during the _Mes De Tormentas_, a whole lot of storms run through this entire area. It's been a big deal with the locals, and it's the thing that replenishes their desert oasis towns."

"I did find it odd that Crescent Island got so much rain under the domain of the Red Moon," Vyse nodded. "Well, it looks like we're in some incredible luck. Now, back to the original problem... what do you think we should do with this thing?"

"Let's follow it's gaze," Gilder replied automatically.

"Huh? But that's fairly obvious," Vyse said, looking out into the night sky the direction the enormous iron discovery was facing. "I don't see anything out there. Plus, didn't you say that it wouldn't be something so obvious?"

"Daccat was a clever bastard," The older pirate replied, smiling. "He'd probably play some mind games. He _wanted_ us to think it has to be more complex, you see. I bet he wants us to over think his puzzle. It's one of the most common mistakes you can make, Vyse, and yet it can prove to be fatal. Daccat's Razor, the theory of life formed by the man himself, says 'The most obvious solution is most likely the correct one'."

"I'm familiar with Daccat's Razor," Vyse said with a tinge of irritation. _My old man didn't raise me to be a stupid Blue Rogue._ "Alright, I've got nothing else, we might as well give it a shot. Let's get back underway." Gilder gladly joined him in returning to the lifeboat and backing away from the continent, turning the prow and getting back to sailing. The winds had begun to turn against them, so they struck the sails and used their fins to maneuver, slowing them slightly and beginning to burn up their fuel supply.

Soon they began to pass chains of abandoned islands. "I'll take the con," Gilder said. "You keep a lookout for Daccat's Island." He didn't remind him what it was rumored to look like- every pirate worth a single gold coin or more knew that part of the fable. The winds whipped about on deck and the chilled night air made Vyse shiver, but he diligently kept up his watch and repelled the less-frequent monster raids on their boat.

They had been out for a number of hours, and had burnt away most of the night in their voyage and working to dig out the huge skull structure on the Valuan coast. By the time Vyse yelled out that he had spotted Daccat's Island on the far horizon, it was nearly time for the sun to rise, and as they drew nearer the first golden rays peeked above the clouds, illuminating the sky.

Gilder allowed himself a yawn. "I haven't slept since that nap I took on the bridge yesterday," He said to Vyse. "I'm going to find a sheltered place in the island, drop anchor, and drop dead for about ten hours. I suggest you do the same- we'll rest up, have something to eat, and get fully prepared before we go for it."

The teenager nodded. "Good idea. I assume you brought sleeping bags?" The air pirates together got the two rolled up sheets out of the skiff's small storage area and rolled them out on the deck. Their sails had already been pulled up, so they attached grappling lines to the side of a steep cliff below the island, and kept the ship floating. This way, they got shelter from monsters, and the engines took a minimal strain to simply keep them afloat.

Vyse laid back and stared up at the shadowed top of the rock above them and sighed. His thoughts returned to Aika and Fina, who were still missing. _I hope they're doing ok. I worry every day for their safety..._ Despite his concern, he was quick to drift into sleep, as he had been through a very long day.

In their protected slumber, they never noticed the small Nasrian ship glide into a harbor almost directly above them, lay anchor, and produce two beautiful girls. The _Aventura_'s passengers did not see Gilder's boat, either, and so the two remained completely ignorant that they were only separated by a forest canopy and 50 vertical meters.

Both of the men woke up at about the same time, making a small camp on the land next to their anchored boat and striking up a fire to cook their breakfast. The spicy Nasrian cuisine seemed to invigorate both of them and empower them with more energy than usual, and they suspected a Red mage had sprinkled a tiny Increm spell into the oven for extra kick.

When they had feasted, and were replenished and ready to go, they grabbed their weapons and headed inland. It didn't take them long to find the cavernous entrance into the interior of Daccat's Island, nor the impenetrable stone slab that defended it. Noonday sunlight filtered through the leaves on the ancient trees, casting illumination over the stone square that sat on the front in front of the sealed door. "Wow," Vyse remarked, awed and a little intimidated. "That looks like quite a barrier... can we blast it down?"

"Nah, probably got magics and stuff for protection," Gilder replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Probably got something to do with that big stone thing. Either that, or it's a trap that's going to drag us down to a horrible death somewhere in the darkness of the island's catacombs. Well, let's go to it." Before Vyse could say anything, the veteran stepped up onto the stone. Nothing happened for several moments. "Well? Get up here," Gilder said, folding his arms.

Vyse didn't see how this could possibly help, but decided to humor him and put a foot up, easily climbing the few inches up and standing next to Gilder, in front of the stone block. Another second passed, and he was about to fire off a witty note about how useful _that_ turned out to be, when the ground shivered. Dust clouds appeared around them as the ancient block descended to join the grassy ground around it, and at the same time the door in front of them slid back into the cliff, allowing them passage into the lit and braced tunnel beyond.

"What happened?!" Vyse demanded. "What did we do?"

"I don't know," Gilder replied. "Maybe I was right. What a shocker, huh? Well, anyway, the door is literally being held open for us. Let's go get those riches." Reading his pistols, he advanced into the tunnel, and Vyse followed him. They passed down a long hallway, which branched off into another tunnel, and also kept going, where another impassable stone block sat. "Take the side-route?" He asked, and Vyse nodded. "Alright."

Moving down the other tunnel, they soon came across a treasure-chest that was partially open. A shadowed man in brown full-body uniform and wielding a Nasrian saber was working to completely open the ancient container, but when he sensed them he stood up and turned around, sword drawn. Wordlessly, he pulled out a grenade and tossed it for the two Blue Rogues.

"Zivilyn Bane!" Vyse cried out, and braced himself for the fiery blast. Gilder pulled out his pistol and opened fire. By pure chance, the silver-enchanted bullet nicked the side of the grenade, detonating it in mid-air and shaking the expansive tunnel they were in. The force of the explosion threw all three men backwards, but the Bane and Vyse landed on his feet. Gilder stood up a moment later, watching the two charge for each other.

The air sparked as their blades met. Vyse's secondary cutlass came up, but the criminal assassin who was unmistakably part of the lamented Zivilyn Bane rolled backwards, crouching next to the old chest.

Gilder saw the man reach into his pocket, and frowned. Drawing on his willpower, he used the silver enchantment on his pistols to cast a special shield around them. "Aura of Denial!" He cried out, as white light sparkled in the air around them. "Your pretty little tricks won't work on us!" The Noxi Crystal that flew at them a moment later evaporated in thin air, it's magical charge wrecked by the Aura and unable to activate it's poisonous spell.

"Wow," Vyse said, smiling. "Nice work, Gilder. My turn now." Turning his blades sideways, he ran forward, but skidded to a halt and put every iota of force he could muster into swinging the blades. Two wedges of accelerated air shot out towards the Bane, who only barely managed to duck the wind strikes. The attacks hit the far wall, harmlessly kicking up some dust several meters away.

The assassin leapt up into the air, bringing his Nasr sword down at Vyse, who blocked and knelt into the ground, springing up again to counter-attack and beginning to duel with him. Neither combatant noticed anything else as they immersed themselves in the fight. Gilder watched tersely, his hand stayed for fear of hitting Vyse in the confusion. The men were moving quicker now and desperately trying to expose the tiniest weakness in their opponent's guard and strike them down.

Feeling a slight opening, Vyse moved in. It was a feint, and the Bane was able to knock away one of his sabers and continued the furious attacks, not giving his opponent one moment to adjust. Having to completely change his fighting style proved too much, and the young Blue Rogue laid bleeding on the floor, multiple gashes sending fire through his nervous system as his tunic began soaked purple as the blue fabric combined with his blood.

For the first time, the man spoke. "Idiot kid. Die." He prepared his sword for the killing blow, but was stopped by the sound of a report, and then two more. Gilder's line of fire was now clear, and he furiously pumped the twenty shots into the enemy, hitting him with almost all of them. The silver magic coursed through the Zivilyn Bane's body, and he shuddered, falling down next to Vyse. The only difference was that he was actually dead. Gilder holstered his weapons, running over to Vyse and closing his eyes. "Moons, Give Me Strength!" He casted a Sacres spell, watching the medium-strength Green Magic heal the wounds over the teenager's body. The blood evaporated, and new blood appeared to fill his veins. Only faint scars remained of the slice-marks, and Gilder offered him a hand to stand up.

"He was just too fast," Vyse said vacantly, standing up and getting his bearings, retrieving both of his swords. "I mean... I couldn't adapt with only one blade, I'm so used to having two... if you hadn't been there to shoot him..."

"It happens to the best of us," Gilder said soberly. "Don't worry about it. Blue Rogues never leave a man behind." Once he was sure Vyse was alright, he walked over to the treasure chest. "Now to see what the Banes consider worth the trouble of finding Daccat's Island for." Opening the lid, he found a small crystal. It was obviously the Soul Crystal, one of Nasr's lost national treasures that had been sought as long as Daccat's Treasure had. "Woah! This qualifies. We'll fetch a purse returning this to His Royal Overconfidentness."

"Good to hear it was worth it," The younger air pirate replied, then paused, looking down the opposite hallway in the T-junction tunnel. "Hey, Gilder, look at that. It's a switch." Before Gilder could warn him, he ran over, curiously pulling it down. Despite it's age, it easily yielded to him, and hit the bottom metal box that braced it.

Moments passed.

Nothing happened.

"... what, not even a trap?" Vyse frowned. "Well, that sucked." He turned around, joining Gilder in the middle. "Well, looks like this door is going to be just as solid as the last one..." Having no other options and no ways to advance, they waited at the stone slab.

A short time later, the ground began to shake, and both Blue Rogues stood up again, watching as their next obstruction was helpfully pulled back up into the wall, providing them with a route to proceed further into the tunnels. Gilder folded his arms. "Something's really weird here. What's setting off these doors? What did that switch do?" _Nothing we do helps ourselves... but maybe there's someone else here... the map did mention two pieces becoming whole or something like that._

"Who knows," Vyse simply replied, walking ahead. "C'mon. At least we can keep going now." The next tunnel had three branches that went off in different directions- one twisted and turned twice before emerging in a dead-end with another chest that contained a large pile of gold coins. They gladly pocketed the money before continuing, and backtracked to the main hallway. The second path yielded a cache of Curia crystals, which were always useful.

They came upon another switch. "I bet this one does nothing, as well," Gilder said, reaching out and shoving it down. "... yep. Nothing. Come on, let's get to the next door." A long stretch of empty tunnel put them in a slightly bigger room, with a door at the end.

Vyse frowned, sitting down again. "Wow. This is certainly not a boring and tedious chore."

"Ah, relax," Gilder counseled Vyse. "All we need to do is wait..." The ground began to shake again. "See? Am I good or what?" This time, the way ahead was not another segment of tunnel- rather, the path continued into a very large cavern, and on the other side of an enormous chasm sat a prominent solid-gold treasure chest that looked pristine and shone in the light of the eternally burning torch brackets to either side. "We finally found the treasure!"

"Yeah," A female voice replied to Gilder, echoing out into the great void of space and bouncing back to them. "... wait... what?"

Vyse stepped into the room, drawing his weapons and getting ready for a trap. Gilder frowned. _So, there are other people here. I wonder who they are..._ he pulled out his pistols, looking over to the other open doorway, with two shadowed figures standing at the threshold. "Who's there?" He demanded calmly.

"Who's there yourself?" The woman retorted, stepping forward and wielding a giant curved weapon, that almost resembled a boomerang. She emerged into the light of the room, and found herself staring face-to-face with Vyse. They blinked, silent for several seconds as disbelief and recognition flooded their brains. A second girl walked up, putting her hands to her mouth and gasping when she caught sight of the scarred pirate boy. Finally getting her voice, the beautiful redhead said, "... Vyse? Vyse!"

"Vyse!" Fina helpfully added.

"Aika! Fina! You're both ok!" Vyse's open mouth finally closed, and turned upwards into his characteristic confident smile.

"Vyse!" Aika yelled, running forward and putting her arms around Vyse in an exuberant hug, swinging around so he was behind him. She happily snuggled into her lost friend. "You're alive! I knew it! We raised enough money, and we bought a ship, and we were gonna get Daccat's Treasure, get a better ship, and come find you! We were so frickin' worried!"

Fina walked up slower, but she was obviously quite relieved as well. Cupil told the tale, as the telekinetic bond with her was making him leap barrel rolls into the air in pure joy. Everyone looked up at Cupil and Fina blushed slightly, turning away. "I'm sorry," She said. "It's just... I'm a little emotional right now..." She wiped a stray tear from her large and inquisitive eyes quietly.

"That's quite alright," Vyse replied, smiling. "I'm so glad to see both of you. I was going to buy a ship as well with the treasure to go look for _you_."

Gilder crossed his arms. "Wait a moment. You never told me your lost friends were pretty maidens... especially not the pretty maidens I saw working at the Sunmeade."

Vyse chuckled. "Sorry. It didn't seem important to tell you much about them. Gilder, Aika and Fina... Aika and Fina... this is Gilder, the Blue Rogue. He rescued me off of an abandoned island and helped me to get over here." Fina bowed politely to him while Aika nodded. Gilder winked, and Fina turned a little red again.

"Vyse, while we were separated, I learned many new things about Arcadia from Aika," Fina happily told him. Aika's mind sounded a thousand different alarm bells, but it was far too late to interject. "She even showed me how to have sex!"

Both of the men began to blink, and did nothing else while their minds processed this new information. Vyse put his hand up to his nose to plug the minor bleeding that had mysteriously started there, and turned to Aika. "There are about a million different things I could say right now, Aika, including many jokes about Nasrian carpets. Because you've just given me the best dream fodder imaginable, I'll spare you however, and merely say I'm incredibly jealous."

Fina took a step forward and smiled. "Oh, Vyse! It's just wonderful! I'll have to show you some time when we're back in town!" The blood flow began again in earnest, and was not helped at all by her next statement. "We could even get Aika to help... Vyse? Oh, my, you're all bloody! Are you ok?!"

"I'm fine," Vyse replied, pulling off his red scarf and dabbing at the blood while Aika giggled, Gilder chuckled, and Fina stood there looking confused. "... Let's just get the damn treasure and get out of here. This place is too creepy for my tastes."

"Here, here," Gilder agreed, turning to look at the vast and dark hole separating them from the obvious treasure chest. "Um... I can't fly, so looks like we're in trouble." He noticed four small stone squares sitting on the edge of the rocks, and frowned. "Hm. Look over there." He pointed, and they walked over to the squares. Each one was big enough for one of them to climb on, and they all stood on the switches. Fina was last, and as she set her feet down upon it, the ground began to shake.

Something began to rise out of the depths. It was a simple square metal platform with an orange and dark-green box pattern, about twenty square meters big. A moment later, four large iron beams slid up, out of the sides of the box. Two of them formed sturdy walkways to the treasure's side of the cavern, while the other two lined up with the floor in front of them.

"That's convenient," Aika chuckled. "Let's go! Treasure... treasure... treasure!" I_ got Fina in bed, we got Vyse back and a new ally, and we're about to be the richest people in all of Arcadia! I count this as a good day!_ Nearly skipping, she led the group across, arriving first onto the central platform. "I can't wait! I bet it's jewels. At least partially jewels. Rare jewels, with Blue or Purple moonstones with em... and gold... gold... gold..."

They were about to cross over to the other side when they found the walkways falling back, pivoting back into the central square. Vyse blinked, looking around. There was no visible source, but they were now trapped on the platform.

Before anyone had a chance to complain about it, they noticed two huge disc-shaped shadows, one on each side of their group, expanding. Looking up, they saw an odd and intimidating sight- two massive stone heads were descending on their own power towards them, their features strongly resembling a mix between Nasrian and Ixa'takan carvings. Their eyes glowed a sinister red color that grew five times more intense as they turned their gaze in unison towards the small humans. One of them had a large glowing purple crystal as it's 'chin', while the other possessed an equally large red stone for a 'forehead'. Both of them opened their mouths wide in a silent roar of aggression, floating above them.

"Am I gonna be the one to say it?" Gilder asked, mostly rhetorically as he drew his pistols. "I guess so. Ah, crap..."


	6. The Storm

Chapter Six- The Storm

No plan survives contact with the enemy. Ramirez knew that all too well, and pondered on the abject arrogance of the Nasr Navy in trusting entirely on the maelstrom of the North Dannel Straight to shield their capitol from destruction. Much of his memory and old ship had not been functional, but he had enough of his technology to teach the Valuan engineers how to construct more powerful engines, ones capable of fording the sky rifts.

His flagship, the _Monoceros_, was equipped with the engines, as well as upgraded cannons and other various elite improvements. Being close with Lord Galcian had it's benefits. The ship was a dark black color with a red stripe down it's long nose. Rows of cannon lined the deck, and his bridge was situated to perfectly overlook any situation. The ship was tipped by a large 'horn' fashioned from Silvite material smelted from his old ship, which could withstand the fury of any weapon. It was not even close to the specifications of the _Delphinus_, the prize ship of the Armada, but he was not shocked the pampered Prince Enrique got the best toys.

Vice Captain Baker was a practical man in many ways. He knew his duty, he was a calm professional in battle, and he knew what pleased his superiors and how to keep his mouth shut. Such prudence had made him the prime candidate to be the second in command to the cold Ramirez. The last two had been killed by the Silvite, and he still survived, which he figured meant he was blessed by the Moons. "Admiral, our ships are almost through the rift. The storm is big and deep, but the entire task force is moving steadily. All is according to your plan."

"Good," Ramirez replied, looking out on the bridge from behind his platinum-blonde bangs. "The reconnaissance picket?"

"They just radioed in their report, m'lord. Not a single Nasr ship of war stands guard over the harbor at this late hour. Karzhai's blockade of the South Dannel is still in position. Nasrad is defenseless. We can take the city without destroying it."

"Yes, I suppose we could," The dark, wiry man looked over at him. "But that is not our purpose. Once we are in clear sky, mark course for Nasrad at full rudder. The task force will assume standard attack formation just in case."

"As you wish." With a slippery smile, Baker faded away in a manner that baffled even the Admiral. It was no wonder he had lasted this long in the Armada. The storm shutters were all closed over the bridge's window as unchecked winds battered their heavy armor, whipping around at incalculable speeds.

Although they were shrouded in the swirling cloud cover of the maelstrom, twenty Spectre-class cruisers were formed up in a spread around the _Monoceros_. The newest type of warship, they all looked like blockier versions of the _Delphinus,_ and made up the entirety of his fleet with their similarly enhanced engines. Their firepower, along with his flagship, would prove more than ample for their purpose.

They were going to wipe Nasrad, jewel of the desert, treasure of the Red Moon, and the heart of organized resistance to the Valuan Empire, off the face of the map by sundown.

0-0

Daccat was quite possibly the most famous man in the history of the civilized nations. The greatest air pirate, he was feared as a genius engineer and master tactician, and rumors stated that he was the first man to discover the secrets of large-scale steel forging, long before Valua became an industrial superpower. His flagship, the _Jolly Roger_, was able to travel to Deep Sky, a feat never replicated beyond his lifetime. He had seen all six of Arcadia's moons with his own eyes and traveled to each land across the world.

In retrospect, the fact that he had placed a pair of ancient and powerful magically-enchanted statues to guard his ancient treasure wasn't that astonishing to Gilder. He frowned, glaring up at the enormous heads as they took up positions on the opposite sides of the group. "Keep on your guard," He instructed to the teenagers, who all drew their weapons.

They circled above them, their crystals beginning to glow. "They're starting their attack," Vyse guessed in alarm. Gilder took aim and opened fire, although the two shots he got off ineffectively lodged in the stone sides of one of the guardians. He didn't manage to pull the trigger a third time as pain shot through him.

In shock, he dropped the firearm, falling to the ground and not noticing his comrades falling as well. Bands of quick-moving light passed over them like a tornado as Sinistra and Destra performed their Death Waltz. The air became pale and cold, as Aika passed out, followed by Vyse quickly. They faded slowly into the enveloping void.

Fina remained just barely alert enough to feel the energies of Vyse, Aika, and Gilder all beginning to fade away. Somehow the statues were draining their very life essence. As a Silvite, she was naturally resilient to such an attack, but she felt her own strength wavering as well. She needed to act fast to prevent the end. _Cupil, attack the crystals... they're the source of power._ The small being was in agony as it felt it's master's life begin to slip away, but she told him again and he moved to obey her command.

A small, squeaky throwing-star hit the purple crystal of Sinistra. It could not have dodged the attack if it had cared, but it cared a lot as a spiderweb of cracks began to appear on it's crystal. Before it could do anything, it shattered, the pieces falling down past the metal platform and landing around the prone forms of the humans. It shivered, and Destra pulled away from it, the mysterious light fading from around them.

The Death Waltz was broken, but the energies siphoned from them did not return. Vyse gasped out for breath, shaking as he felt a numbing cold, and was unable to move on his own. Aika was still unconscious. Gilder got enough of his senses back to grab vacantly for his pistol, and fumbled with the cartridge box under his coat for fresh ammunition.

She knelt next to the three of them, bowing her head and focusing all of her energy into a prayer to the Moons. _Moons, purify our souls_, she thought, feeling the lunar energy in the room begin to increase. In a flash of dazzling light, six rainbow spheres appeared in the air, forming a large ring around her and her friends. Combining at the top like a cone, the energy rained down like a heavy downpour, filling each of them with energy to replace that stolen by the Waltz.

Gilder struggled to his feet, squinting and looking as Destra and Sinistra angrily circled the platform from above. "... Wha happened?" He asked. "Wait... the attack..." He turned over to look at the teenagers, but they were all fine or relatively fine. "Aw, man!" Looking at Sinistra he glowered. "Now you're gonna get it, asshole."

The sound of gunfire startled Vyse to movement, sitting up to watch the muzzle flashes from the Blue Rogue's guns fill the darkened chasm. The silver bullets did very little to the hard stone rocks physically, and the power within each was useless, as Sinistra was not alive in any sense of the word. "Damn!" She turned to Fina. "Looks like we'll just need to take down their physical forms. Fina! Enchant these guns with Red magic again!" Tossing them the short distance, the timid girl somehow managed to catch both of the heavy Nasr pistols.

Vyse sighed. "Powerful... stuff... don't quite feel that good still." Despite his woebegone complaints, he turned to look at Sinistra. He noticed Destra seemed to be acting oddly, and when he looked over at the statue-head which still had a crystal, he saw it descending rapidly. "Ah crap! Duck!"

Attempting to ram them was a good thought given it's mass and utterly solid build, but they were quick enough to evade the attack and send the floating head gently soaring over the other side of the shadowed depths beneath them. It spun around, and opened it's mouth wide, eyes glowing again. Aika opened her eyes in time to see a trail of molten lava spew from it's mouth, right for the platform.

At the last second, Vyse raised his swords, crossing them and building up what spirit energy he had left. "Pirates of old, defend our cause," He implored, hoping that his weakened power would somehow he augmented by the presence of Daccat's magic on this island, and make a strong enough Skull Shield.

A large floating skull appeared in the air before them, and absorbed all of the lava before vaporizing back into nothingness. He blinked for several seconds, then gave his friends a confident smirk. "Knew that would work."

Fina had been filling the guns with Red energy during that time, and handed them back to Gilder. He smirked and twirled the weapons, his fingers instantly seeking the nimble triggers. "We need to hit both of those things hard. Let's see how this works." Aiming for both of them, one with each pistol, he began to fire again. Explosions blossomed through the air, rocking both of the statues back and chipping off pockmarks on the aged stone features of both.

Aika flipped up to her feet, drawing her boomerang. "Payback time," She said angrily, tossing the weapon. It twirled a graceful arc through the air, leaving behind a small path of wind in it's wake. Striking Destra, she made a sizable dent in it's surface before her weapon returned. She kept up the attack. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" Summoning up what knowledge of the obscure Purple Magics that she had, she knelt down, feeling the violet energy surround her. _Panika... the spell of confusion_. Targeting Sinistra, she launched the spell.

The spell seemed to bounce off the sturdy foe, and it turned around to start another attack for a moment. They all dove out of the way again as the head went sailing past, sparking against the metal for several seconds and leaving a dent on the platform's surface. When it reached the other side of them it kept going, and barreled straight into it's partner with a mighty crash.

Stone met stone, and the surviving crystal of the other statue broke apart upon impact. The two massive foes heaved against each other with all of their might, locked in an intense struggle and leaving the humans to watch. Vyse turned to Aika. "Hey, that's a pretty cool move. I didn't know you did a lot of Purple Magic."

"Fina taught me some of it," The redhead chirped, nodding to the timid girl, who looked away and seemed embarrassed by the small attention. "You know, when I wasn't too busy getting dirty with her." She stuck out her tongue, seemingly not embarrassed by that at all anymore. It was a different story for Vyse and Fina, who both got a shade of red unmatched by the Red Moon itself.

Gilder chuckled. "Well, while they're busy fighting, I say we nab the treasure and make for the boats." They all turned, seeing the walkways leading to the enormous chest at the other side emerge from the shadowed depths and allowing them access. They reached the other side quickly, approaching the treasure chest. On one hand, they saw it with someone approaching reverence and stalled, but they also realized that Panika wore off after mere minutes, and so if they didn't want to face Daccat's golems again, they would need to make haste.

Naturally, the oldest Blue Rogue was the first to approach. Lifting open the lid without any resistance and finding it unlocked, he peered inside and gasped. "W... wha? What the hell is this?"

"What the hell is what?" Vyse asked, walking with the girls to either side of him to peer into the rich container. What he saw struck him dumb, too. At the bottom of the well-padded chest was a single ancient gold coin and a withered piece of parchment scribbled in a script that resembled Nasrian, but was not the language of the desert nation. Picking it up, he blinked. "Um... I can't read this. Fina?"

She nodded. "I believe I can translate Redite. Let me see... 'Brave souls that come seeking my treasure... do not be discouraged. You already have the most valuable treasures in the world. Comrades, trust, cooperation. That is treasure with true value in this world. Signed, Daccat'."

Aika frowned. "I don't believe this..."

Gilder started laughing seemingly spontaneously, a jovial and deep laugh of amusement. "Ahaha... old Daccat's sense of humor was as legendary as his cunning and skill. That son of a Huskra... oh, that was a good laugh. Laughing beats gold any day of the week in my book."

Fina smiled gently. "Well, this treasure has reunited us all... and friends are more important than any treasure. Captain Daccat was a very smart man." Cupil agreed, vigorously circling his master and her friends and chirping away.

The other girl's frown only deepened. "Friends are important and stuff, but he could have at least left some money for our troubles..." She looked up at the battling stone heads and said, "Wonder how long until they notice us again... humph. All these old legends, first Pyrynn, then Rixis, now Daccat's Island... all kaput! Almost no treasure anywhere. All we got were a few moonstones and a set of armored robes we found in hidden chests along the way."

He smirked. "I bet the greatest air pirate of all time spent all his cash when he was still alive. You can't take it to Deep Sky with you, y'know." The teenager joined Gilder in another laugh.

"Yeah, but now we're still poor," Aika objected, throwing the rhetorical water onto Vyse's mood.

"Let's get back to Nasrad," Gilder said, reaching into his coat. "First, I'm going to leave a small surprise for the two chuckle heads up there." He pulled out a long red tube with a small rope connected to the top. "Go on back to the ships and wait for me." They nodded, running back through the walkways while Gilder set up the Red moonstone dynamite charges so that their power would flow mostly up into the cave, where the stone figures were, and hopefully obliterate them altogether. After he had laid his bombs carefully, he lit the joint fuse and set off at a run. By now the Paniked golem was returning to it's supernatural senses, and spotted Gilder right before he ran off into the cave. The two stone constructs turned to follow, but were cut off by the blasts.

The force released was more than even he expected. Flames nipped playfully at his back, although he didn't feel much like staying around, and ran as hard as he could. The explosive force inexorably pursued, and he found a shortcut into the harbor where Skiff Three was sitting at anchor with Vyse waiting. Leaping out of the cave, he tumbled onto the ground and narrowly avoided the gushing flames, which soared into the sky. The ground was shaking badly.

"You alright?" Vyse called from the side railing of the deck. Gilder got up and brushed himself off, joining him moments later. "Ok. Pull up the anchor, I'll get the engines ready. The girls are gonna shadow us on the way home." Raising the sails to their full and billowing masts, pulling up the anchors and lines keeping the ship aground, and jump-starting the modern engine all took a few minutes, but soon enough they were airborne again, sliding nimbly out of the passage they had come in.

Turning about, they found the _Aventura_ idling nearby. Upon sighting them it slid sideways, nimbly getting up behind them closely. Aika tossed two ropes over to them, which they caught and secured to the deck, effectively linking the two small craft. This dual-configuration sailing ship looked bizarre, but with all their sails billowing and the Nasrian engines at full power, they set off towards the south at full speed, eager to sleep in the warm bed of civilization.

They repelled the occasional monster attack and met to coordinate their maps and navigation, but for the most part all four pirates were left alone with their thoughts of the turbulent and wonderful day. The blazing sun was low in the sky, and Gilder noted they only had an hour or two of light left before nightfall.

_I wonder what we'll do next,_ Vyse mused. _We're still after the Moon Crystals, and we've only got two so far... maybe we'll have to go to Valua next. I wonder where the other Crystals are... maybe there are more continents beyond the rifts that limit us. I should ask Fina about it later_.

"Land ho," Gilder called out after another half-hour of sailing, as they approached the coast of Nasr on the horizon. "Hm... let's adjust course to the west, looks like we're coming in on the main continental mass instead of Nasrad harbor..." Feeling their way along the hot and sandy shoreline, they soon located the large and proud city. "Finally! Nasrad, dead ahead." Red light bathed everything as the sun was preparing to set, and made a beautiful sight as they pulled into a docking slot near the metropolis of alabaster and fire.

They did not notice the vague speck on the horizon, approaching from the same direction they had a short while ago. Setting lines and anchor up and landing the ships in protected hangars for the night, the rogues regrouped and walked up the large staircases leading out of the docks district and into Nasrad proper.

"I was hoping if we had enough treasure we could buy our own ship and keep hunting for the Moon Crystals," Aika sighed. "Guess that washed up bad."

Gilder chuckled. "No worries. You three are a lot of fun, you know. I think I could help you out. The _Claudia_ should swing by any day, they're usually free of Clara's clutches by now. I could take you on and help you. Certainly seems adventurous enough for my tastes." _David'll probably taste it more sour, though. More work, more danger, and saving the world sounds like charity work_. He lazily looked up at the sky, and blinked. "Woah... um... ah crap..."

Everyone turned to look up, and saw a heart stopping spectacle. Twenty-one Valuan airships were approaching the city, spread out in professional attack formation and looking ominous, their steel hulls framed against the dusk sky. "The Armada!" Someone called out, and the streets quickly degenerated into shock and panic. The Nasrians looked up and saw their greatest fear hovering over them like the specter of death.

"How'd they get past Karzhai's Fleet?!" Gilder demanded, but he never got a reply. The telltale thundering of cannon filled the air of the city, and the ships lit up, their guns opening fire. Streaks of flame marked the passage of one of the hundreds of shells that started raining on the city. A dozen shots hit the Nasultan's palace in an instant, turning it from a proud enclave into a burning ruin. Flames sparked everywhere, the Valuans working to bombard the city as hard and fast as possible. The ground rumbled. It was almost like the Rains of Destruction all over again.

Defenseless against the obliteration, citizens panicked, running back and forth, dodging rubble, or simply shutting down in unreasoning horror, staring bleakly up at the harbingers of death in the sky. The air pirates all watched the destruction of Nasrad commence, the mighty skyline soon reduced to smoldering ruins.

A shell struck the Desert Provost Inn, Aika and Fina's home away from home during their shipwrecked time. The building exploded, rubble falling around them and barely missing Gilder. This snapped the older man out of it, and he shook himself, looking over in a disturbed fright to the others. "Everyone! We can't just stand around here or we're dead! Get to the docks! Let's get the hell out of here!"

Vyse blinked a few times, then nodded. "There's nothing we can do against that fleet anyway," He said hoarsely, turning and shoving his way through the panicked throngs trying to all swarm to the docks. They saw sheets of flame covering the hangers, some boats out in the open had already sunk out of place from direct hits or fire damage. Citizens crowded anything that could fly, trying to flee, but Valuan soldiers had arrived and started to cut down anyone to ran, herding the terrified masses away from their escape.

The great city wall surrounding Nasrad took another hit, a massive chunk of the granite surface splintering off under the explosive force of the shot and sending waves of rubble into the already agitated mob. The scene was one of literal fire and brimstone, horrifying in every degree. The steps ran red with the blood of innocents, the pirates stepping through it, trying to reach their own craft.

A dozen Nasrian troopers with rifles drawn were advancing on the Valuan dock guards, and a gunfight ensued. The utter chaos around them and simple numbers and tactical ability soon saw all of the troopers slain, with more and more Valuans unloading to reinforce their comrades and cut down the ebony-skinned masses.

Somehow in the pandemonium of the fight the four of them slipped through the massive clusters of people, heading for their hangar, which was dead ahead. Another shell promptly dropped onto the building, demolishing it and ripping apart Skiff Three and the _Aventura_ with a thunderous and vengeful blast. "Our ship," Fina cried out in alarm. Without their only means of escape they would be trapped in the city under fire, probably killed by the advancing Valuan battalions.

Wheeling around, they found their only escape had been blocked by the encroaching wreaths of fire. The screams of the dieing, explosions, and a thousand other horrors drifted over the city like a curtain, thick sheets of black smoke rising from every quarter. Still, the Valuan ships continued their thunderous cannonade, aiming to completely reduce the city so not anything stood above a story high in the confines of it's useless walls.

"We're cut off," Vyse said, scowling. "There has to be another way through..." He paused and trailed off as a figure walked through the fire. It did not touch him at all, and he seemed not to even notice the obstruction. Through the choking heat emerged a shadowed figure that slowly gained definition, and Fina's face took on a recognizing disbelief.

The man standing before them was thin but had muscles, much like Vyse. He was dressed in a tight black uniform with gold trim and leather admiral's pants, with white gloves and dark boots. His pale skin led up to his utterly beautiful face, half-concealed by bangs of off-white hair that fell to around his shoulders in a neatly maintained style. His eyes were not beautiful, but full of malice and hatred that seemed to radiate out of him like the heat of the fires he was seemingly immune to. At his side was sheathed a sword, in a notched scabbard of fine silver.

He spoke, his voice low and dark, like his eyes. "Fina... so you are here. I've been looking for you." He stood before them, regarding each of them in turn before his gaze rested solidly on Fina.

She gasped. "R-Ramirez?" _It is true... oh, oh no..._ Emotions flooded over her and Cupil began to shiver ominously just from the bleed-over provided from the telepathic bond to the girl. Her wide and beautiful eyes were fully open in shock.

"Hey, you know this guy?" Aika said, turning to face Fina, slightly crouching and ready for a battle, even as apocalyptic noises blanketed them and cannons roared still from the airships overhead. Fina did not reply, did not even look at her, just kept staring into the orbs of agonized hatred that belonged to the newest Admiral in the Valuan Armada, and the only other Silvite alive.

Vyse stepped forward, fists balled and also ready for a fight. "Are you the man who led this attack... this... massacre?" Gilder and Aika got up their fury as well, backing him up to either side.

"Yes. From this day forward, the Red Continent, Nasr, and all of it's people are the property of the Valuan Empire." He looked Vyse right in the eyes and even the bold teenager felt a solid shiver in the back of his mind. He pivoted his torso to draw his sword, pulling it out and smoothly pointing it straight at his heart. "And I've come to take you all back to Valua. Surrender or you all die." There was no questioning this man was deadly earnest.

Vyse was about to spit back a defiant reply and draw his own blades, when he felt a soft hand stay his arm. He looked over, and saw in Fina more fear than he'd ever seen in anyone in his life. She looked imploring at him and shook his head. "No... please... he's too strong, we can't fight him... not yet..."

The Blue Rogue stared back, silent for several moments. _Fina... _Then he turned to look at Ramirez, closed his eyes, and sighed. "We... surrender."

"A wise choice," Ramirez coldly said, bringing his special blade up and holstering it again with another fluid motion, staring them down. He addressed his next statement to the six Marines who had also come through the flames, easily protected by their bulky armor. "Capture the air pirates, seize the Crystals, and place them aboard the _Monoceros_ in maximum-security quarters." _Aboard my flagship will you remain prisoners for the two-day journey to Valua... and then you will all be killed... except for you... Fina..._ They rumbled past him, surrounding the Blue Rogues with lances drawn. They all bowed their heads slightly and followed the barking commands of the Marine sergeant, who ordered them to move out.

As they followed Ramirez through the fire, he made a small path for the prisoners to follow. Fina stared at him and shivered. "Ramirez... why... why are you doing this?" _Nothing makes sense... something's changed about him..._

Ramirez did not reply, but merely looked ahead. A transport was docked in one of the few undamaged ports, another four Marines standing a vigilant guard over it. He watched them all pile onto the hovering metal skiff, the Blue Rogues utterly surrounded by the enormous Valuan soldiers. The pilot induced the ship to take off, flying into the sky to join the ship at the head of the fleet that was bombarding Nasrad heaviest.

When they reached the flagship, they were stripped of all equipment, weapons, and the Red and Green Moon Crystals were taken by an officer, who stared greedily at the brightly-shining crystals. Fina said, "No!" But a rough shove from one of the soldiers quieted her.

"Take them away," He said in a high Valuan accent. "Separate the men from the girl. Bring the Silvite to the special cell. The Lord Admiral's direct orders." They were quick to obey- tarrying on a directive from the feared combatant courted death in Ramirez's task fleet. Vyse and Gilder were shoved in one barred cell, and Aika was put directly across the hallway from them. The soft rumble of the ship under them changed, and they all noticed that they were now underway.

Fina was spirited away through several secured passageways into a conference room of sorts and shoved in, the door barred and slammed by the two troopers, who then took up a vigil in front of the portal. She looked around- an oak table full of maps and various papers sat with a dozen padded seats in the middle of the room, and a small glass window was at the other end of the large room. Otherwise, the black metal was seemingly bare.

"Why..." She repeated softly, sitting down in one of the chairs and resting her head. Cupil nuzzled her sadly as she began to cry, confusion and hurt overwhelming her. She was captured by Valua again. Ramirez was working for the Empire. Everything had gone so horribly wrong, just hours after he had finally seen Vyse again.

Sometime later, the door creaked open, and she looked up, to see Ramirez entering the room. Sitting up, she stared over to him, and he stared back. No hint of emotion ever graced his face as he examined her tear-stricken visage. "Fina," He said lowly.

"R-Rami..." She hiccuped, thoroughly devastated and falling back on her old childhood nickname for her best friend and beloved companion, her only human contact besides the Elders in her youth. "W-why?"

He hesitated for a split-second, and then his face hardened again into a mask of wrath, screwing up into a glare that he cast down onto her with as much anger as he could wrench up from his heart. "My motivations are none of your concern now, Fina. All you need to know is that I now serve Lord Galcian, and not the Elders." With that, he turned around and walked out of the room, leaving her to start crying again.

The task force had left a small occupation army in Nasrad to set up a provisional government, raised the Valuan flag over the desolated husk of the Red capitol, and then left the same way they had entered the harbor- through the North Dannel Straight. Making their course due-west, they hugged the Great Barrier Reefs for nearly a day before turning off and starting diagonally across Mid Ocean, headed for the Imperial Capitol. In that time, the prisoners were all left to their own devices, fed twice with sub-quality food. Ramirez did not again approach Fina, who had run out of tears and simply laid her head on the table, silent in her misery.

0-0

Prince Enrique was going to a unique gathering. A special, exclusive club of higher-echelon officers and noble servants convened in total secret every week. They were intellectuals who discussed the flaws of Valua's expansionist policies, humanitarian concerns, and other things which would have gotten all of them drawn up and quartered if anyone had known.

His trick with sabotaging the Grand Fortress to allow the Blue Storm to narrowly escape was a brilliantly executed plan, but it had horrible backlashes. He had to pretend to know nothing as dozens of loyal men were killed for mutiny. It broke his heart to see his friends and trusted troops die because of a choice he made. Therefore, he had stayed away from the group, even after he had heard about it, until one day, when his curiosity finally overcame all his better judgments. He donned a traveler's cloak, and set out.

The Upper City streets were as rich and lavish as they always were. Enrique always liked to see happy subjects, but it was at best bittersweet when he weighed the carefree elite crust of Valua with their lower half, which lived in intolerable squalor and poverty. The cloak he had adorned was an expensive, noble one, so as to blend into the crowds, and he was not noticed.

He loved the thrill of sneaking out of the Palace and through the streets, undetected as the very Prince of Valua. It was a nice indulgence, an adventure in a life full of stifling formality, regulation, and cold unemotional vacuum left by his absent father and rampant mother. He exchanged idle pleasantries with passersby, making good time towards the designated house, which was nestled comfortably in rows of golden apartment blocks near one of the city's many train stations.

At the door, he knocked, and was challenged for the word. "Esperanza," He replied in a whisper, invoking the name of the settlement to the far south, in Cape Victory on the Nasrian continent near the sky rift borders. It was often used as an example of the Empire's policies gone bad, and the people there had no hope and no reason to go on. _Just like that city on the other side_, he mused as the door came open and he was pulled inside with an alarmed noise.

"My Lord," The man said urgently, staring straight into Enrique's uncovered face. He had easily recognized the future monarch, for he was Captain Vash, commander of his personal guard. "Moons Alive, what in the name of Yeligar are you doing here?!"

Enrique smiled wanly. "I could be asking the same of you, Daniel." Although the soldier before him was taller and more muscular, with a scar across his face, he was a welcome sight. "Captain of the Prince's Guard at a meeting of the Philosophe Knights? Oh, my. How unbecoming."

"How did you learn our name?" Vash said, his eyes widening slightly. "Oh, this is bad, this is very bad..."

"Do not worry," The prince said, hands raised in a placating gesture. "I am merely out for a royal visit. Or perhaps in an unofficial capacity, no?"

Others had begun to cluster around him, drawn by the fussing of the Captain. Enrique at least passingly recognized numerous faces amongst the group, and they seemed divided. Some were very shocked to find him here, others merely showed joy that he had come. "Enrique," Sergeant Abrams exclaimed, blinking. The loyal Belleza officer was not someone he expected to see, but nonetheless the prince greeted him warmly. _A pleasant surprise for once._

_Admiral Belleza will want to know this_, Abrams mused silently, outwardly exchanging more pleasantries with other guests of the secret gathering. The espionage expert had embedded officers into the Philosophe Knights for months, but had not turned them over to the Empress or Galcian yet, as they seemed harmless enough so far.

His thoughts were interrupted by the clatter of heavy boots outside the door. Everyone tensed up, turning to the secured passageway. "Open up," A voice said, pounding on the door. "Open up! It's Jackson!" With a gasp, several people moved in to open the door, producing a Valuan pilot in full uniform. Ensign JG. Jackson was an officer aboard the _HMS Retribution_, one of the Spectres involved in Admiral Ramirez's task force which had arrived not hours ago back at the city after several days off on a mysterious deployment.

"I say, Jackson," Someone in the group said, "What's the rush? What's wrong?" They ushered him in quickly shutting the door and moving into the dining room of the estate house before they could attract any more obvious attention.

The officer took double-gulps of air, and composed himself, taking off his pointed-beak helmet and laying it on the fine rug near the couch he sat on. "We just got back into port," He breathed. "Nasrad... we just ransacked Nasrad..." A collective gasp went through the room. "Went through the North Dannel... surprised, the Nasr Fleet didn't even meet us, but we blew away the city... took Vyse the Admirable and Gilder the Unfettered into custody, along with the Silvite girl."

"Blew... away?" Enrique echoed. Jackson looked up in surprise, obviously recognizing him. "What do you mean, blew away? If there was no resistance, we should have just occupied the city, right?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, Prince Enrique. Admiral Ramirez still wanted us to burn it... to disobey invited death..." He looked down. "I couldn't do it, so I got my shift pulled and hid out in my quarters... we pounded the city into dust... blasted civilians clean to Deep Sky with our cannons..." This horrid news sent shockwaves through the Philosophe Knights. Many agreed that they would convene later, spreading out now to share the news. Abrams made top speed to Belleza's command to alert his superior of this development.

Two more palace workers and Captain Vash escorted Enrique to the train station, and they commandeered a train with no difficulty. Setting off across the rail car towards the towering form of the Imperial Palace coming up, Enrique was alone with his morbid thoughts. _Oh... what have we done... this is murder._

As he walked up the steps to the palace, his mind was set. _I know now what I must do... Mother... I wish it had never come to this. You force my hand._


	7. Jailbreak

Chapter Seven- Jailbreak

The enormous glory of the Imperial Throne Room still had Enrique rapt every time he came to the massive hall, however today he had much more important issues on his mind. After a hurried questioning of the bewildered receptionists below, he had learned his mother was conducting a meeting, and was in that enormous room. He made his best speed, walking up the incalculable flights of steps leading ever-upwards onto the seat of the Empire itself.

The fifteen most elite Royal Guards in their immaculate purple armor stood at arms to either side of the enormous rug, looking as if solemn statues. Between these guards and before the small steps that led to the dais where Empress Teodora sat, the towering dark frame of Lord Galcian bowed. "Empress, Nasrad is no more. The Nasr Air Guard is disbanding, and their country has ceased resistance to our advance. We have won."

Teodora cackled, looking briefly to the enormous seal of her royal family hanging on the wall above her enormous golden throne. "Good, good work Galcian... Nasr was our only enemy with a navy... now we rule the skies unopposed. Soon all the world will bow down to our might... and Arcadia will see me as it's sole sovereign."

"Yes, Empress," Nodded Galcian obediently, his mind full of a million different calculations as he watched all activity in the enormous room.

"Am I to understand that the air pirates and the Silvite had two of the Moon Crystals in their custody when Admiral Ramirez took them into irons?" She cocked an eyebrow. "So, the fool girl did end up aiding us in the end. I want her brought to the Palace tomorrow, first thing, so we may begin questioning her for information on the other four we still do not have."

"By your will," The towering, muscled man replied, eyes still closed in thought. He spoke up a moment later. "And what of the air pirates, Empress? What would you have done with them?"

"Ah, yes, the filth..." Teodora sat in repose for a moment, then had a fit of DeLoco-epic laughter. "Have them executed publicly in the Lower City, and throw their rotting carcases into the sewer. Show the commoners what resisting our might leads to. See to it personally they all die."

"I will do as you order," Galcian said, the smallest of heavily malignant smiles taking over his thin lips. _Ramirez and Fina... with them under my leash, and the pirates and Nasr out of the way, all of the pieces are falling into place... soon now, I will be able to-_

"Wait!" He silently looked back as the pattering of feet on the granite steps got louder. Appearing through the handsome oak and gold double-doors, Enrique stepped forward, not pausing to catch his breath but walking calmly past the highest military commander in Valua. Galcian bowed respectfully to the Prince as he went by. He stopped at the edge of the blood-red carpet, looking up at Teodora eye-to-eye. "Mother, I just heard that our fleet destroyed Nasrad while it was defenseless... why? Why, mother? Why did you have to murder so many innocents? We didn't have to kill anyone..." He gestured emotionally with his hands while he implored this question of his only parent.

"Enrique," Squealed Teodora in an unpleasant display of annoyance, acting as if he were a stubborn five-year-old insisting on buying a new toy, "I have already went over this with you a dozen and more times. We are acquiring new lands by any means available. How do you expect Valua to bask in the glory of the six Moons without a little bloodshed?" She sniffed imperiously down at her son.

"But Mother," The crown prince persevered, "Why must we use such brutal tactics? If we continue our unfair tyranny, the people will rise up in rebellion against us. We must adopt a more humane approach-"

"_Silence,_" She ordered, and the blonde winced in obedience. "You insist on having the foolish impulses your father always had... 'care about this'! 'think about these people'! Honestly, which of us is the woman here, Enrique?! You are certainly not a fitting heir to my grand throne... you are nothing but a dirty _coward_. Remove yourself from my sight, posthaste."

"Mother..." Enrique said, his voice subdued. He was cut off again.

"_Remove yourself_! Go to your room and think this over. You'll see the right of it, I know you will." With that, the discussion was most assuredly over.

Enrique gave the closest thing he ever had to an enraged glare, blushing as he felt the eyes of all the dukes, lords, ladies, and soldiers upon him after being publicly humiliated by his own mother. He sighed and looked down. _I tried. I tried so hard... but you will not listen. You are blind, mother._ Turning about on his heel, he walked out and tried to calm himself with mulling over the forming plans for the next few days in his mind. _But I will make you see._

Waiting in the grand atrium outside was Captain Vash, who had heard every word. "You did all you could, your Majesty," He assured Enrique, putting a large and grizzled hand on his proud shoulder. "The Empress is not a lady who likes change. Or having her orders questioned." He considered. "In fact, I'm not sure she likes much besides trying to 'man you up' until you have no human emotion, or commanding Galcian to kill some more people."

The prince smiled. "Yes... well, the game is now afoot. Alert our men at the docks to begin repositioning themselves. I want all the sentry shifts for the next three days to be troops aligned more for me. Have the engineers make haste with the _Delphinus_- we'll need to cut short some of the refits, but so long as it can fly I'll take it. All of this must be done in the most secret of possible manners... if mother finds out, I am ruined. And you are dead." He looked down sadly. _I seem to have a knack for getting my subjects killed... or allowing them to suffer._

Vash nodded. "The ship will be ready, and so will the guards, by tomorrow. I can swing it." He paused, and then sighed. "I can't believe that we're really going to try this. Oh, well. I always did enjoy a challenge." With a wink, he walked away with the officious air expected of a Royal guard captain, barking orders harshly to subordinates.

Enrique chuckled. _I think I'll go down and pay a visit to Vyse the Demon down in the Grand Fortress... if half the rumors are true, the second I talk with him he'll breathe fire and melt my skin. But I have a feeling... he's fighting for all the right reasons._ As he pondered, a soldier in the royal purple armor marched up and saluted. "My Lord, Corporal Perez, B Company. Captain Vash wanted me to report to you for escort to see the prisoners."

The prince smiled respectfully. "Very well, Corporal. Let's get going, shall we?"

0-0

"I hate Valua." Once again, Vyse cast his glance up to the wall he was leaning against. A single small square opening with thick metal bars that might be charitably described as a 'window' admitted no light into their darkened prison cell. There was no light to be had- the permanent cloud cover over the entire continent remained black as pitch, a mixture of magical storms and the heavy pollution of Valuan industry. Vyse idly wondered if even being in this country would blacken his lungs. "It's so dark and gloomy here."

"Yeah," Gilder agreed quietly, his mind running over a thousand different thoughts and not devoting much attention to his idle banter, "And it starts to look especially gloomy when you're locked up in Death Row." Anything with 'death' in it was to be avoided, especially in Valua, where death came easily and often. For many, it came welcomely. "Hey guards! Can we get some food in here?!"

"Quiet, scum," The trooper roared from the other room, and although he was not in sight of the cell they were in he could hear them alright. "Just 'cause this is your last full day above Deep Sky don't mean I can't come in there and beat you."

"Oh, come on," The rogue continued brazenly, "Where's your sense of hospitality, huh?"

"Maybe you stole it," The prison watchman replied testily, leaning his head in to glare at both of them personally. "Helping the people, bah! You're worse than the Black Pirates. At least they admit they're the filth of the skies." Their intellectual discussion over, the guard returned to his seat at the end of the hallway.

Gilder sighed. Vyse continued, "Well, this was a perfect end to a perfect day, huh? That Daccat's treasure was worth busting our asses to get. Oh, then the Valuans defeated Nasr. And took us here. Where we're going to die. And the Crystals are gone. So, the world's doomed. Did I mention we're going to die? Pretty sure I did. Awesome." His characteristic optimism bordering on ego was not showing itself now.

"Just relax," Gilder said with an unusual level of calm. "You're only making things worse by getting all worked up. We'll figure something out eventually." A faint, feminine scream drew no attention from them- many ominous noises floated into the cell from other prison areas, where the Valuans were no doubt busy causing maximum agony with their technology and magic.

The teenager was about to make his reply when he saw something out the window. It was green. He blinked, watching as the small parrot landed on the stone sill, flapping it's wings. It had a small pilots' cap on, complete with goggles, and a piece of parchment tied with a wire around it's leg. It leapt inside the room, urgently circling in the air. Gilder held up his arm and said, "Oh, hey there Willy. How're you doing?"

The bird eagerly accepted the perch offered, setting down on his hand and resting his tired wings. He opened his beak and replied, "Very bad! Very bad!" In a squawk. His Vice Captain, David LeCroix, had likely taught him that, although sometimes Gilder swore the bird was intelligent enough to speak on it's own.

He smiled. "Ha ha. Is that so? Well, no wonder, you had to fly all the way over here. I'd be tired, too." He looked down and saw the message wrapped in a small roll to his foot. "Hey, looks like someone wants to contact me. I wonder who it could be." Removing the wire and pocketing it, he unfurled the parchment. His eyes skimmed over it, his smirk growing wider and wider.

"What is it?" Vyse asked, genuinely curious about the sudden appearance of the winged messenger who was apparently the bearer of good news. He leaned over to read the note. It said:

' Gilder. We'll start bombarding at midnight. Expect you outside the harbor. - LeCroix. '

The man chuckled. "The note's just like Dave. All professional, all business. This isn't the first time he's had to bust me out of jail... or I him, for that matter. My boys know the routine." He looked around. "Hey, stooge, what's the time?"

"That eager to die, huh?" The guard at his post still had no idea what was going on in the cell containing the two seemingly doomed air pirates. "It's eleven-thirty PM o' the clock, right now."

"Hey, thanks," He replied, his voice echoing slightly. "Maybe they'll promote you for humane treatment or something." He hastily muffled Willy before he could start trumpeting 'hey, thanks', and alert the guard, thereby spelling death for their plans. He looked over to Vyse and grinned. "The _Claudia_ might not be able to demolish this fortress, but it will cause enough of an uproar to make one very heroic jailbreak." Vyse found his clever smirk infectious, and tried it out himself. It fit well.

"One problem, though... how are we going to get out of this cell?" As Vyse asked that, he watched Gilder walking up to the lock in the large iron bars that contained them.

He pulled out the wire, straightening it more or less, and grinned. "That note was secured with wire, and not string, for a very specific reason. Give me five minutes and I'll have this thing busted wide open." He knelt, eagerly getting to work and using the wire to mess with the internal mechanisms of the mechanical lock.

"Hm... what's this?"

"What's what?" Gilder asked, his voice low as he concentrated on breaking the lock.

"There's some writing on the back of this note... it's in pink ink, which kinda glitters under a little moonlight... ' Gilder, my love! I will fight for your freedom as well! Be quick, darling, so we may be reunited as soon as possible! - Clara '. There's also a bunch of lipstick marks on the bottom of the paper, too..." Upon hearing this, he winced, stopping his work and looking back towards Vyse with a pained expression on his face.

"Clara, huh? Um... you know, we're not in any rush to escape this place, actually... we could stick around a while more. See how the food is, you know..." He stood up, looking back towards his new teenage friend.

"'Stick around'?" Vyse echoed in slight disbelief. "Gilder, they're going to kill us tomorrow at high noon. As in we die. _Diiiieee_."

Gilder rolled his eyes, and kicked the bars. The door built into the cell swung open with a loud creak, and he said, "Well, it's a choice between killing my soul or just letting the Valuans kill my body. You can't blame me for a moment's lapse. Let's go." Even the remarkably myopic prison guard was alarmed by this, and he stood up, grabbing his sword and running over to their cell instead of pulling the alarm, a breach of protocol. Gilder turned around, expertly kicking the man in the face and sending him crashing to the floor with a terrible clatter, his unused longsword laying besides him. He pondered killing him, but decided not to. _He did have the courtesy to give me the time. More Valuans need courtesy. Plus, he's remarkably harmless for a ferocious Valuan trooper._ "Willy, tell David to have a barrel of loqua ready and waiting. I think I'm going to need it."

With a final "Aye, Aye," the bird stopped circling the room, descending and perfectly sliding through the window. He flapped his way into the darkened skies, heading outwards and away from the enormous fortress, towards where the _Claudia_ laid in wait.

"Let's get our weapons and gear," Gilder said. "The Valuans are keeping them in impound with the shit from all the other prisoners on this level, in that room down the hallway. Then we can go pick up your beautiful friends, maybe kick some serious Valuan ass going in and out of the Fortress, and then get out of here." Vyse nodded in agreement, following him into the storage area and grabbing all of his equipment.

Gilder looted gleefully from the supplies, including several fair bags of gold that he stealthily placed in his pocket, before retrieving his own pistols and items. Vyse said, "Alright, I think I saw Aika being taken to the prison block adjacent to ours. It should be right above us."

They proceeded down the other side of the hallway, past rows of totally vacant cells, and moved down a narrow flight of metal stairs that led to one of the many elevator junctions. Two lifts waited, their metal doors controlled by the small panels to the side. On the floor was imprinted the Great Seal of the royal family of Valua, but they ignored that for many different reasons and summoned an elevator for their use. They encountered no more guards- the Valuans' trademark arrogance once again worked against them. _Probably never even considered anyone would escape their cell,_ Gilder thought with contempt.

Riding the motorized metal box was an odd experience for both of them, but especially so for Vyse, who had never tried such machinery before. It most resembled to him the hover disk technology of Rixis, but this made a lot more noise as it's gears churned and propelled them up a long brick shaft. The doors slid open, revealing two Marines standing guard at the junction. "Hey," One of them boomed out to the two Blue Rogues. "Freeze!"

"Good idea. Vyse, Crystales!" He pulled out one of the purple crystals, tossing the other one to Vyse. "One, two, three!" Before their enemies could get their bearings, they both hurled the crystals at them. Banging harmlessly off their armor, they sparked and cracked, the magic energy released. The Purple Magic spell Crystales froze opponents solid, and these two were now encased in a layer of magical ice as well as their own bulky armor- unharmed, but totally immobilized.

"Nice," Vyse nodded, chuckling. He got in the lead, drawing his cutlasses as he proceeded down several hallways. A very familiar scream from up ahead caught his attention, and he charged forward. When they arrived at Aika's cell, Vyse paused for a moment, then smirked, and said, "Are we interrupting something?"

The beautiful tomboy pirate was hanging off the bars of the windows, desperately trying to escape a muscled titan, who was clinging to her legs. The man was enormous by any regular standards, and wore a teal and purple muscle-shirt and sweatpants to show off his build. His hair was a chocolate-brown, and spiked up into a single forward-facing style. Aika replied by imploring, "Vyse! Gilder! Get this creep away from me!" She was blushing madly.

The man looked over at the two Blue Rogue men, glaring. "Beat it, punks!" He said rudely, still tenaciously attached to the redhead. His arms looked like tree-trunks or boa constrictors wrapped around her pale and slender legs. She squirmed again, and he further tightened his grip. Vyse glared, twirling his cutlasses.

"Sorry to spoil your fun," Gilder said, stepping up and drawing his firearms into a battle stance, "But you heard the lady. Down, Fido."

"Who said we were having fun?!" Aika objected, again trying to escape from the muscle-man. To her surprise he let go, standing up. This action was intimidating, for he was rather tall and rather large, and looked down on both of the men. Seizing this chance, she moved like lightning, getting around him and running to join her friends.

"I'm Vigoro," He said with a supremely confident smirk. "No woman in Valua can resist me. I believe the worth of a man can be measured by his popularity with the ladies." He put his hands on his hips and nodded.

Gilder stood in repose for a moment. "Hm... I like that philosophy... I'll have to tell David about it later." The look he got from both Aika and Vyse promised a death that was far worse than what the Valuans threatened, and so he hastily continued, "Uhhh... Right after we kick your ass for trying to rape this beautiful young girl!"

"Agreed," Aika nodded, glowering. "I might not have my weapons, but I've got plenty of magic to mop the floor with you. If the floor can stand to be around you long enough."

"Ooh, I love it when the babes talk tough," Vigoro said, favoring her with a wink. She favored him with a lewd gesture which translated across all cultures. "Oh? Feisty indeed. Maybe I need to teach you and your _little_ friends a lesson in _brute force_." He cracked his knuckles and stepped forward.

Aika deadpanned, watching Gilder aim his guns. "Hold on a second. I'm going to deal with him personally." She stepped forward as well, her eyes blazing with rebellion against him and everything he stood for or ever was. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" Thinking quickly as yellow light flickered into the room, she accumulated lightning in her hand, the ionized energy sparking and glowing as it increased in size. Vigoro paused for a moment, the dove for her. She fired off the Electres spell.

Like a lightning-bolt, it connected her hand and the far wall of the cell with incalculable electrical power. Vigoro was caught in-between, and jolted as the electricity flowed through him. He shivered and shook, the smelly hair-gel maintaining his improbable hairdo beginning to smoke from the current. Recovering after only a few moments, he wound up a punch and might have taken her beautiful head clean off her shoulders if she hadn't dodged him quickly. Both of the men backed up several paces, as much as the cell's large confines allowed, and watched Aika work.

"Hey, catch," Vyse said, pulling out her enormous boomerang and tossing it roughly. He lacked the correct angle, so it didn't return to him, merely careening through the darkened air of the cell at her. She put out a hand and expertly captured the old wooden handle of the weapon, twirling it around into a battle stance. The crystalline material of the boomerang was transparent, it's enchanting moonstone having been removed by the Valuans.

Vigoro blew a kiss to her cockily, which only contributed to her rancor. She wound up and threw her weapon... but when she looked down it was still clutched in her hand. Trying to move again, she found her body rooted to the spot. Her eyes widened in horror. _This must be the 'charm' Vigoro was talking about... no wonder he was speaking literally_. She couldn't even open her mouth to ask for aid, as the muscled giant advanced on her. _How's he casting it? I don't detect any magical apathy at all from him, and I don't see any 'stones or casting items..._

"It's my natural power," He boomed in response to her voiceless question. "The Vigoro family has always had the best and most powerful men in all of Arcadia, and we've proven it by using this special magical technique. You're now helpless, Red. How about we get a little closer?" He reached out to her.

Gilder had seen enough. Readying his pistols, he expertly lodged twin bullets into his back, distracting him for several moments and sending rushes of pain throughout his massive body. His concentration thus broken, Aika felt the feeling return to her body and knew this was the chance for a counter-attack.

She took the initiative, running forth and expertly kicking him in the most vulnerable area she could think of. Blinded by even more pain, he fell to the floor with a meaty thump and flailed, as the agony from the well-placed low blow actually made him shiver. Gilder blinked, turning to Vyse. "Remind me never to make Aika mad."

Vyse snorted. "Good luck with that. I'm still trying to pull that off, and I've been living around her since I was five." He saw Vigoro laid out on the floor spread-eagle, obviously and handily defeated. The victor glowered down at him, and they all stepped up to look him in the face.

"Looks like you were all talk," Aika noted with contempt, hands on her hips.

Vigoro tried to raise a fist to punch her, but his quivering hand and sapped strength made him fall short of connecting. He chuckled in pain and horsely admitted, "Well... you got pretty lucky there, Red... but I didn't have my cannon or my armor that time..." He fell back to the ground.

"Hrmph," His 'victim' frowned, looking down on him. "Where I was born, they have a saying: 'a true man doesn't make excuses for his own shortcomings'. Going by that, you've still got a lot of work to do, boy."

"Where are they holding Fina?" Vyse demanded, stepping over Vigoro and looking him in the eye.

"The Silvite girl?" The muscled Admiral paused for a moment to think, still in enormous pain from the low blow. "Um... the Upper levels, restricted section. You'll never get in there, even I don't have the key." He chuckled.

"No, but you have the keys to the Fortress's batteries of cannon," Gilder crossed his arms. "Each Admiral gets access to their special areas of this place, and you've gotta be the one in charge of making things go boom, correct?"

"That's right." He frowned. "Take the keys if you want. Won't do you much good... three people can't fire those things, and they can't be aimed much neither."

"No, but they will make a convenient method of passage." With that, Gilder led them back down the hallway and to the elevator junction. One of the lifts was in transit, but they didn't stick around to find out who was moving where, getting into the other one and using the key to make it begin it's descent.

Less than a second later, the elevator arrived, the metal doors sliding open to admit the young teenager. Enrique looked back to the vigilant Perez, who followed him closely. "So, this is where the air pirates are being held?" He asked the royal guardsman.

"Yes, my Lord," Perez replied without delay. "Vyse the Bold and his accomplices. This is Death Row, sir."

"Take me to them," He requested. "I wish to speak to these Blue Rogues at once." _Let's see the man behind the rumors, Vyse Dyne, son of the Blue Storm. I hope you're not what you've been made out into, a villain._

"Take you... sir, perhaps you should wait out here. I'll summon the other guards for this level, and we'll bind the pirates and take them back to you. The confinement facilities are not... suitable for one of your grand stature, m'lord." With a quick salute, he stamped down the passageway, his armor rattling loudly through the large room.

Enrique sighed airily. _I'm so grand I can't even be near the place where they keep the people who anger my mother, hm? Such is yet another failing of this country's broken logic. Things are looking more desperate each week for my chances to turn Valua around to the course of righteousness again..._

"Prince! My Prince! It's an emergency!" He snapped his head around to look at the soldier, who was trotting hastily out to meet him. "Sir, the guards have been subdued, and Admiral Vigoro is wounded, laying in the cell where we were keeping the girl."

"I see," The blonde teenager saddled with the burden of nations nodded solemnly._ So, Vyse is trying to escape again... interesting._ "Listen closely, Corporal. Take this message verbally to the Captain, tell no-one about it. If questioned directly, reply it was an order from me. 'Change of plans. Make ready ASAP.' Go now. Lock down this level remotely as I leave."

"Sir... yes, sir. But... what of you, my Prince? Will you not come back to safety with me?" Perez was a simple soldier, and did not understand most of the events that were about to unfold and change the course of history. Enrique longed for that bliss, but knew that the man was good at heart and in a better time would appreciate his cause. Telling him, a loyal servant of his mother and not him, would still be unbelievably foolish.

_Time to be evasively truthful._ "I have a matter of grave import I must attend in the docks area. Fly with all your speed now, soldier." The purple-armored royal guard gave another full salute and ran into the left lift, which had just returned from taking someone lower. He took the second one, calmly meditating to the mechanical noises surrounding his metal box as it slid slowly down towards where his personal flagship was stationed.

0-0

David walked out onto the deck, the night air whipping about his mysterious hairstyle and exposing his face to the licks of the wind. His hooded tunic and coat flapped about him as well, and he took out a pair of moonstone binoculars, zooming in on the distant speck on the horizon that was the coastline of Valua. Already the clouds were so dim it was impossible to tell night from day but for the clocks onboard the _Claudia_, which was setting up a position to fire.

He sighed, putting down the piece of expensive tactical equipment. "Gilder... I can't believe we're going to take on the Grand Fortress and it's entire garrison fleet... oh well. Now's the time for action, not words. Mr. Jonas, please switch us to assault configuration, and signal the _Primrose_ that we are to begin firing at twelve of the clock, sharp." The ship began to rattle and rumble, it's deck reshaping itself slightly.

Portals to either side covered by steel bulkheads lifted up, allowing numerous deadly batteries of cannons to poke defiantly out of the sides. While it appeared in sailing mode to only have a few guns set up on the forward grille, the hidden firepower of the ship was unmatched even by the famous _Blackbeard_ before it was sunk some time ago.

Signal lights on the side of the _Claudia_ flashed in a repeating, consistent pattern, waiting for a reply from the pink sailboat which coasted just out of sight to the side. A dim flickering orb appeared, blinking repeatedly. One of the crewmen looked up. "Clara acknowledges, sends best wishes, love, hearts, and... yep. More love."

"Lovely," Jonas commented, spinning the wheel and turning the ship so it's broadside batteries were ready. Down below, a dozen more of Gilder's Blue Rogues were loading the many guns with special high-firepower explosive shells enchanted with Pyrum spells. One of the strongest classes of Red magic, he figured they couldn't have a shot at taking down the Grand Fortress, but would cause quite a dent in it's garrison forces and island guns.

"Eleven fifty-five," Someone else called from the bridge, next to Jonas, their voice floating up to the windy deck via their talking-tube system. "Five minutes until attack."

"Very well." He turned back, giving the behemoth of a fortification another good sweep with his binoculars and sighing again. _Gilder, you crazy bastard. I just hope you know what you're doing, and have gotten out of the prison by now. If you don't get out of there quick, the Valuans will send a few dozen Spectres out and rip us to bloody shreds. It all rests on you..._

Inside their target, the three escapees had just arrived in one of the guns of the Grand Fortress's many batteries of ultra cannons. They gaped as they looked up in awe at the scope of the shell that was ready and loaded. It was over ten times taller than they were, a huge shaped black metal creation with enough force to blast islands out of the sky. It led down mag-lev tracks into a long grooved metal tunnel- the barrel of the gun.

The gunnery crew hadn't been called up for action yet, as most of the Valuans didn't know of the jailbreak in such a short amount of time. They were left alone in the titanic room along with the gear and apparatus of the machines.

Vyse blinked. "Alright, we're at one of the enemy's cannons... what now, Gilder? How is this going to get us into the higher restricted areas?"

"Simple," Gilder replied calmly. "The Fortress is crisscrossed by walkways on the surface. All we have to do is run out the barrel and drop down onto the walkway. The maintenance lifts that run on tracks up and down the surface armor aren't restricted, and we can go right to the level where Fina's being held without delay."

"Run through... that?" Aika looked at the sheer enormity of the shell, then back to the huge long circular tunnel. What faint Valuan light flickered through it did so through a dot to their sight. "I guess... we don't have much choice, do we. For Fina, then." When she turned her gaze back to the men, she found Gilder missing. "Huh? Gilder? Where'd he go?"

Gilder ran back up to them, his mysterious smirk plastered across his handsome features. "Hey, sorry, guys. Just had to take care of something. Let's get a move on. David's about to let loose the hidden fury of my _Claudia_ on these bucket-heads." Following his suggestion, they sprinted down the barrel, each fully aware that if it was fired they would all be dead, and thus as eager as possible to reach the distant other end.

Vyse took the lead, and looked down, to see a walkway not five meters down from the edge of the cannon barrel. "We're in luck," He announced. "Five-meter drop off. Watch your landing and you'll be fine." With that, he stepped out, landing perfectly like a cat and rolling aside. Aika landed with only minimal pain in her ankles from the force, while Gilder narrowly saved himself from getting a face full of metal, sitting up and rubbing his shoulder.

She pointed into the distance and said, "There's the nearest service lift... it's so far away! Hey, don't the Valuans send out patrols through these walkways to depopulate the monsters on them and stuff-"

"Hold it, scumbags!" The harsh command in clipped Valuan made them all turn around to find two Spell Wardens standing beside the hulking form of a Marine Sergeant. All of them were formidable opponents, but alone were quite a deadly force. The officer raised his lance-rifle, in which the machinery of a carbine had been embedded in his Yellow long lance. "Surrender or be killed, in the name of the Empress."

Gilder's hand reached down. The enemy officer began to squeeze the trigger mounted on the weapon's large handle. The rogue retrieved one of his guns with both gloved hands and raised it with incredible speed. Both of them fired at the same instant, their bullets passing each other in midair. The shot pinged off the reinforced armor of the Marine, but the yellow bullet sliced a glancing cut in his shoulder and shot minor electrical pulses through him.

"Gilder," Vyse called out in concern, turning to face the Valuans. "Damn you!" Charging in for a head-on attack confused the Spell Wardens, who put up no defense nor had a chance to counter as he began to cut them both down. The Marine turned and raised his lance, sweeping it down and sending a wave of electricity into the vacant space where Vyse was half a second before.

"Let's try this!" Aika pulled out one of the grenades plundered from the Valuan armory by the two males, and tossed the cylinder with all her might. It bounced off the thick plating of the Marine's armor, but landed against the wall near him. Before he could react, it detonated.

A cloud of vapor and shrapnel pushed him to the side, causing his off-balance form to stumble slightly and hit the side railing. The crafted metal was never meant to withstand such a burden, and bent ominously inwards with a terrible groaning. Struggling for his balance, he found himself tossed over the side and into the air by a well-placed strike of Vyse's cutlasses. He fell into darkness below, and into Deep Sky.

Turning instantly, he walked over to the prone forms of the two Spell Wardens. One had succumbed to the terrible slash across his chest, but the other one still lived, drawing raspy breath and clutching the diagonal bleeding wound that shot agony through him. Holstering one cutlass, he took out a Sacres crystal, and held both his weapon and the healing magic crystal out to him. "I know you Wardens have keys. You can give me your key to the harbor, or you can die. Choose."

Surprisingly enough, the man chose self-preservation and surrendered the key. Now, when they rescued Fina, they could easily steal any ship out of the docks and make their escape. Keeping to his word, the Blue Rogue gave him the Sacres crystal. His wound would heal enough to stabilize him until a medic got to him.

With no further run-ins with Valuan patrols, they reached the lift. Gilder activated it from the control panel, and with a mechanical shudder the motors to either side began to push it up the steep incline. The maintenance lift began to climb higher and higher on the wall, and they enjoyed the awe-inspiring view of the colossus around them. They also looked out upon the open, dark and cloudy skies, and the surrounding tiny islands mounted with cannons and the fleet of ships warily circling the gigantic wall.

"Any moment... any moment now..." Gilder said, smirking. Suddenly in the distance a dozen flashes appeared. Three tense heartbeats later the shells came screaming in, sailing past the defenses and slamming into the enormous wall. Their large explosions looked like dots in the distance to either side of them, and the Pyrum bombs served only to alert all the Valuans.

Alarms began to wail desperately, the Valuan ships wheeled up into a line formation, and the enormous batteries mounted on the Grand Fortress opened up. Their lift shook from the force of the return barrage. Even as this was happening, another round from the pirates hit the wall. One of the shells, by more chance, struck one of the islands, vaporizing it's gun and silencing it's small crew.

Thunder was never so loud as the Fortress guns. Each one of them was as big as the Valuan ships they supported, and each time they fired a black metal island streaked out, carving a flaming trail in the sky towards the muzzle-flashes on the horizon. The gunboats and cruisers joined in as well, sending furious rounds of unaided salvos into the night as fast as their mechanical guns could load.

One of the shots from the hidden pirate ships landed perilously close to their lift, bathing them with uncomfortable heat and sending chunks of mortar, brick and steel falling meters from their very tiny elevator platform. Gilder winced. "Well... my boys are right on time... but we're running a little late, it seems."

"Look at the firepower of the Fortress," Aika said breathlessly, watching the fortification send another wave of enormous flame out from it's massive barrels. "... what about Clara? Will she be ok with all these cannons firing at her?"

"She knows her stuff about battle," Gilder said, crossing his arms. "She's had to evade me once in a while when I get exasperated enough to loose a few salvos. Clara will be fine." He paused for a moment. "Probably." They were less than halfway up the enormous track, that stretched up out of sight into the black sky.

The fifth wave of Blue Rogue shells came in, arcing gracefully until they slammed into the Fortress. The massive defensive wall seemed unscathed even by the fury of such fire. A moment later Vyse thought that they had gotten a lucky hit, because one of the cannons burst into a sphere of flame which tossed enormous chunks of white-hot debris outwards and sent most of it's own barrel toppling towards, trailing plumes of smoke.

"That was the cannon we came through," Gilder explained, smirking. "I sabotaged the firing mechanism. Simple trick, really. Valuan cannons are so easy to break if you can survive long enough to get that close. They won't be putting that fire out any time in the next few hours." They observed several more rounds where each side sent wave after wave of deadly fire at each other. One of the Valuan ships was nicked on the side by a bomb, floating away from formation and trailing smoke, while the status of the air pirates was impossible to determine. Neither side backed down, nor moved as they focused all their power into their long-range blows.

"You two ready?" Gilder asked as the lift began to slow down, finally approaching their destination- the restricted upper sections of the Grand Fortress. "This is where the real fun begins." They debarked, steeling themselves against the ground's rumbling and shivering and moving on. At the end of a long catwalk they found a locked door, but bashed through it easily enough and entered the narrow passageway beyond. The sounds of sirens and alarms faded away as they went deeper into the wall, although the bone-rattling boom of the cannons still shook them every few seconds.

Another door soon appeared ahead, and Vyse put his hand to it when a familiar, low, voice drifted through the small barred window on the top of the metal bulkhead. He froze up. Ramirez's voice declared, "Remain calm. I doubt that the might of two sailboats is going to destroy the Grand Fortress. Any deserters will be captured and brought to be personally... consulted with.. by me. You two, stay here and keep the girl under guard. The rest of you, with me. We're going to investigate the source of that cannon explosion." They waited, breath low, as the sound of heavy footsteps eventually faded into nothingness, while the ground still shook and resonated.

When the way was judged clear, Vyse kicked open the door. It flew back, crashing against the metal wall with a thunderous boom. Charging into the room, he found it a long and narrow passage with a royal red carpet- on their end was barred simple double-doors, the other end the locked entrance to a meeting room. Standing before the door were two Marines with arms and armor, and when the spotted the pirates they stood in surprise.

Aika knelt to the floor and closed her eyes. "Fire... Consume My Enemies!" A circle of flames surrounded her, and she sprang up, tossing her boomerang onto the ground. "Lambda Burst!" A grid of magical flames appeared, filling the hallway but taking both Vyse and Gilder in the gaps between roaring walls of blaze. The guards' armor became superheated, and was now little more than a pressure-cooker for the agonized souls within. The Marines dropped their weapons, kneeling and rolling around, thrashing to get out of the burning iron.

Gilder put a silver moonstone bullet in each of their neck joints just to make sure, and watched the unmoving corpses before leading them into the room. Fina was standing at a large window on the other side, and looked back with a glare on her face that evaporated as she saw who her new visitors were. "Huh?"

"Fina," Vyse called, running over to her. "We're here to rescue you. Let's go."

Fina nodded, smiling fondly. Cupil appeared, shifting back to his balloon-form after assuming his usual cover as a pretty bracelet. It chirped happily, reflecting her mood through the telepathic link. "Vyse... the first time you rescued me, it was a total shock... but this time... I've been expecting you..."

"Heh," The teenager shrugged. "You know me by now, Fina. I'll always do everything in my power to protect you."

"Hey, um, not to ruin the moment," Gilder said. "But let's get the hell out of here before we're all caught, hanged, drawn and quartered, and the world looses all hope of surviving."

Fina giggled. "Very well. Lead the way." Her weapon had been with her all the time, and she had no gear to speak of, so they simply took off, running back down the maintenance tunnel they had come in at. "Where are we going?" She asked breathlessly, trying to keep pace with the three seasoned Blue Rogues.

"The dock," Vyse replied. "Then we steal a Valuan ship and get out of here."

Arriving back outside, they witnessed the battle still going on. Flashes of thunder and cannon illuminated the black as pitch night, and the dim forms of ship formations swarming up told Gilder that the Valuans were already deploying reinforcement squadrons. "Looks like things are getting dicey for the _Primrose_ and the _Claudia_, we should hurry," He said, leading them back onto the lift. "Time for some backtracking."

As they descended down the unthinkably huge armored surface of the Fortress, Vyse noticed something. The ground no longer shook. "Hey, the big guns have stopped firing!" Indeed, the most massive Valuan assets, the cannons on the wall, had fallen silent. The harbor forces and ships continued to return fire, but the attacks going out were now much reduced. "What's going on here?"

Then the lift began to shake again. The wall meters away from them began to twist inwards, as the enormous motors mounted in the heart of the wall began to put out enough power to slowly turn the Fortress. It was converting to defensive mode, turning slowly but surely to put up their ultimate defenses. Even through the backside, the smoking weakened section of the wall where Gilder had blown up the cannon was clearly visible.

"They're locking up tight," Gilder noted. "They know we can't do anything at all to them, especially like this, so they're just going to wait until they run out of ammo or get bored. Look." The harbor fleets were slowly falling silent, reluctantly giving up the attack. The floating island cannons were the last to stop shooting, and the only light once again came from the steady Red magic explosions across the face of the wall. "Now's our chance- let's grab a ship and get out of here!" They finally arrived.

Using the key obtained from the wounded Spell Warden earlier, they got the large bulkhead to open, and were admitted into a set of maze-like passages that lead through the heart of the Grand Fortress's docking facility, which was an enormous part of the fort. Resistance was light, and the ones they did run across were naval crewmen or regular troopers.

As they rounded yet another steel corner, a million alarms began blaring at once, and red lights flooded them all with crimson illumination. "Crap, the alarm!" Gilder glared at the flashing light. "We must have tripped some kinda switch. In ten seconds we're going to be swamped by troops."

A voice floated over to them, coming from above one of the standard lifts they were near. "Get on the lift! Hurry!" Vyse frowned, pondering for several seconds and seeing no other options before him. _We have to move... now! Let's take our chances!_ Finally he climbed aboard, motioning for the others to follow. They did, and the elevator set out.

After some small transit time going up, the elevator cleared the alarmed section, to reveal their benefactor. He was a blonde Valuan teenager in a noble's tunic, staring intently at Vyse. He opened his mouth, and said, "So, you are Vyse the Bold, hm? I am Enrique." _The die is cast._


	8. Midnight Voyage

Chapter Eight- Midnight Voyage

The prince of Valua was a beautiful young man, with intelligent and caring eyes, fair blonde locks, and a lithe figure. Easily identified, he was famous for his humanity and quiet cunning amongst the people of Valua. The lower classes looked up to the future ruler for his kindness, but the nobility assumed the position mostly of his mother, the Empress- he was just an unruly coward. Gilder was the first one to speak up, and confirmed the thoughts of the others. "Enrique... you're the Prince!"

"The Prince?" Aika echoed, taking a step back. "You're _the_ Enrique? The guy who helped Cap'n Dyne by keeping the Fortress open four months ago?"

He chuckled daintily. "Why, yes. I am." He looked up- in the dark silence he seemed to hear what the others could not perceive. "Radio messages are flying through the air. I've taken a transmitter in my beret- two battalions of troopers are bring rerouted to this area. Follow me." Turning around, he ran down the hallway.

"Why's he helping us?" Vyse asked Aika. He got a deadpan face for a reply. "Oh... right. Why are you helping us?" He demanded of the Valuan as he and his friends moved to follow him. Enrique stopped at a set of double-doors, not responding but instead inputting a key code and opening the locked down entrance to the docks.

They had little alternative but to follow him down the nearly pitch-black tunnel, which seemed to run forever before light appeared at the other end in the form of an ajar door. He passed through it, into a room painted a bright gunmetal gray and with a set of steps leading up. Climbing them with the Blue Rogues following as quickly as they could manage, he shoved open the final door and stepped inside the large room.

Vyse took a look around. A large wooden table sat in the middle, and white metal control consoles were situated to either side and up front. The walls were all pristine metal, and on a raised dais near them was a small throne behind the Valuan royal flag. The front part of the walls were mostly enormous windows, which looked out upon the open air of one of the docks. Visible was sets of powerful turrets and the finely crafted prow of an airship.

"If you haven't guessed by now, we're on the bridge of a ship," The Prince said, coming to a regal rest in front of the ubiquitous helm wheel. "Say hello to the _Delphinus_, the newest member of the Armada and the most advanced airship in the history of Arcadia. It has ten main cannons that are used on Heavy Battleships, and yet her engines can outrace a Merrimac. The armor is the same material as the middle layers of the Grand Fortress. It is my personal flagship."

The pirates' confusion was suspended, giving way to awe as they stepped up to the windows and examined the extraordinary ship they were on. It's bridge and rear half were block-like, with rows of powerful rudders and turbines providing power from behind. Two maneuvering fins to either side gave it most of it's small wingspan. the main body of the ship was twice as long as it was thick, it's armored prow ending in a small purple fin and a set of inactive torpedo launchers. The cannons were mounted on the top and sides, enormous barrels sticking forwards indolently. It was for the majority an unpainted gray color, with a stripe of royal purple running down it.

Aika gasped, taking it all in slowly and admiring the sleek design. She looked around again at the bridge they were in- even the control surfaces were brand-new and sparkling clean. "Woah! This thing is... awesome..."

"This ship is only the prototype," Enrique stated soberly. "Once it is complete, we will begin building a whole fleet of _Delphinus_-class warships. Valua intents to use these to take over... the world." His eyes met Vyse's, and they sized each other up warily, as he and his father had done seemingly so long ago.

Gilder, ever the expert, was in contemplation, pacing the bridge. "With a fleet of ships like this... Valua will be unstoppable, hands down. Especially now that the Nasr Air Guard is out of commission..." He turned around, crossing his arms and smirking at Enrique. "So, your Royalness, there's still one thing I don't understand. Why did you bring us here? I doubt you went through this much effort just to show off."

The blonde looked down, taking in a deep breath as four pairs of expectant eyes were glued to him. For a moment, he wavered in his resolve, but he succored his will with righteous anger and looked up. _No going back_. "I want you to take this ship." He placed one gloved hand over his heart. Eloquent gestures had become a subconscious thing for the royal teenager. "And I want you to take me with it."

"_What_?" The four said at the same time, surprise obviously evident on the aspect of each of them. Aika squinted. "You're serious, right?"

"Valua has been taking over lands by force, killing innocents and brutally crushing whole races, such as the Ixa'takans and the Nasrians," He explained, a note of desperation slipping into his regal voice. "As the Prince of the Valuan Empire, the blood spilled all rests on my hands... I've done all I can to convince Galcian, Mother, the Admirals that what they're doing is wrong... I've tried so hard, for so long. They won't listen to me. Everything I have done has failed, I am powerless!" Vyse listened in surprise to the taciturn youth pour emotion into his plea. Enrique bowed respectfully, staring at the metal floor, and sighed. "Please... I beg of you... allow me to follow you. I will even go as a hostage, if you wish."

The other three naturally deferred to the brown-haired son of Dyne, looking over to him in apprehension. Vyse didn't need long to decide what he had to do. "Of course you can join us," He said, giving him the thumbs-up and his charismatic smile. "But... there is one problem that we need to resolve..." He amusedly noted Enrique's tension rise. "... Blue Rogues don't take hostages. You sail with us, you sail as an equal, and as a man."

The prince looked up and blinked. He smiled in relief. "Thank you! I will do my part as a member of your crew, and aid you to the best of my ability."

"I'm feeling formal," He announced, holding out his bare hand to Enrique. "And we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Vyse Dyne, of the Blue Rogues."

Enrique tentatively took it, shaking his hand with his own firmly. "I am Enrique Capulet, patriotic Valuan and rebel prince." He looked around. "By now, the refits should have this ship ready to fly. I've sent word to my men to detach-" The ship rumbled slightly as the dozen docking hatches scattered across the ship's hull pulled away, and the cranes supporting the ship slid back into their positions in the enormous walls of Enrique's personal dry dock.

Aika chuckled. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be at ease onboard a Valuan ship, with a Valuan in the same room... let alone, be saved by the _prince_ of Valua." She looked down. "But... the Moon Crystals are still in the hands of the Valuans..."

"Well... technically speaking, they _are_ in Valuan hands," Enrique said, and the girls looked up at him. "I made sure to steal the Crystals earlier this day. I was going to have them destroyed, but I rightly should return them to you." He reached into his pockets, and produced one of the luminescent crystals in each hand. The Red and Green crystals' glow flowed outwards and mingled harmoniously, the warm light of their flawless surfaces a welcome sight for all.

Gilder laughed. "Wow. You are quite a clever one... you act more like an air pirate than a nobleman." Enrique accepted the compliment graciously, smiling gently. "Well... David's probably had a few brain hemorrhages by now worrying about us... we should be getting out of here." He remembered Clara, the image of her suddenly floating to the front of his mind. "That is, if we don't have any more business here. At all. You know, any reason to stick around a while longer..."

Vyse rolled his eyes. "Quit your bitchin', Gilder. You have to escape the jaws of death sometime. Alright, everyone, let's go!"Aika and Fina went to the side-control boards, watching as they lit up. Electrical beeps and noise filled the bridge as the computers and systems all started for the first time. Vyse steeped up to the wheel, his hands expertly gripping the handles, while Enrique and Gilder stood to either side of him.

The seemingly solid wall before them began to transform. A crack appeared in it's middle, and the two separate halves slid outwards, revealing a long launch tunnel that led out into the Grand Fortress's main canal. Their way was now clear for them, and their elevated spirits buoyed them from the prospect of freedom.

He looked over at Enrique. "Throttle to one fourth, if you know how." As the Prince pulled down the engineering sliders, power from the main reactor shunted down into the turbines below them. The deckplates rumbled as controlled energy brought the engines to life. The many large rotors in the back of the ship began to push the air out, and the Valuan ship began to gain speed. "One half, now." Bells rang as the engines roared and the ship shot forward. "Impressive speed," He breathed. "This is better than the _Albatross_ was at full sail... Aika! How's it looking?"

"Shiny," Came the truthful reply. "I can't figure out what half of these gages do, but all the color-coded ones are in the green. I can only assume that's good, ne?" The overhead fluorescent lights flickered on, casting powerful illumination over them all as they began the flight through the narrow tunnel. The lights on both walls flickered past rapidly.

Like a young bird leaving it's nest, the most advanced ship in history emerged from the hole in the side, swimming out into the enormous open air of the main canal. A hundred closed docking ports liked the walls opposite them, over half a kilometer away. To one side, the canal emerged into the Capitol City's harbor, and the Imperial Palace was clearly visible in the gloomy night sky of the Yellow Continent. The other side was the solid wall that had rotated earlier, blocking their escape now.

The rotors stalled for a moment, then started up again, kicking the ship sideways as the rudders rotated. Spinning around to face away from the distant band of light, the _Delphinus_ stood poised in the air for their escape. "They've already locked down the Grand Fortress," Enrique noted. "That might present something of an obstacle... luckily my ship is ready to handle it. In addition to our conventional display of firepower, she is also equipped with the standardized Moonstone Cannon, which was formerly only a test version manufactured by Lord DeLoco."

Vyse growled as he remembered that cannon, the one that had forced him to tangle with a Gigas and had nearly gotten him killed twice. "It's not surprising that the bucket head makes most of the new Valuan tech... so, how powerful is this cannon?"

"We can blow small islands out of the sky, and the beam is almost powerful enough to punch through an entire layer of this fortress." The prince smiled. "However, it is not almighty enough to achieve total penetration- that would require more power than the Yellow moonstones put out on a monthly basis, in less than a second."

"Not an issue," Gilder said. "See that flaming hole? That's where we came in, and where I made the boom-boom. That entire segment of armor should be weaker than usual... a good super-cannon shot should be enough to shatter it and allow us to escape."

Aika shook her head. "This day's too much. First I get eye-molested by a creepy muscle guy, then we escape prison again, and now we're going to muscle our way through the greatest defense ever known in the modern world."

"Maybe we'll discover a seventh moon tomorrow," Vyse posited, chuckling. "Alright. Engines ahead full! Gilder, looks like the weapons are your department. Charge and fire when I've aimed us right up at the hole. Our accuracy needs to be pretty good." The engines shoved them forward as the prince's flagship shot through open sky.

The prow of the _Delphinus_ opened up like a budding flower, just like the _Chameleon_ had when it had tested DeLoco's cannon on the Ixa'takan royal ship. A long, thin black barrel poked out and locked into position, and power began to gather. Rings of light pulsated across the ship and the sphere of moonstone energy reached critical mass. "Ready to fire," Gilder announced.

They were headed straight for the burning wound near the bottom of the enormous wall. Without warning, the enormous batteries of cannons that lined the side facing them began to spit fire. Explosions bigger than their ship blossomed in the air, and they struggled to remain calm under the blistering fire. Apparently Ramirez had quickly learned the reason for the fire, and put the gunners on high alert for suspiciously moving ships.

"Moonstone Cannon, Fire!" Vyse ordered.

He had only fired a gun once, his father had allowed him to shoot a target onboard the _Albatross_ after a raid when he was about ten years old. When he had squeezed that trigger, a sudden force equal to the speed of the bullet kicked back at him, slamming the weapon into his chest and leaving a nasty mark that a Sacres spell quickly cured. Dyne had explained to him the recoil effect of what had happened, and demonstrated further by showing him how to correctly handle such a strong force.

The recoil of his father's moonstone pistol and the recoil of the 200-meter cannon embedded in the insides of the _Delphinus_ were like comparing a hangnail to being stabbed in the shoulder. The ship rocketed back with a power unforeseen, and the four teenagers all fell backwards onto the unyielding metal floor. Gilder was a veteran, and had braced himself, remaining upright and watching the beam of energy slice through the air.

It was a clean hit- right next to the hole, pushing the damaged plating beyond it's limits. Debris flew outwards as the massive explosion blasted a hole in the weakened defensive section of the Grand Fortress. The cannons stopped firing as they passed their minimum range, and they were allowed to slip easily through the hole.

Blazing away from the Valuan continent, they gave the harbor fleet and mounted defenses no time to react, sailing on towards the lighter sky to the south. Realization soon settled in as they roared away that they had did the unthinkable. "We did it," Vyse said with a whoop, "We punched a hole in the Fortress, and escaped! We escaped from Valua again, _and_ we got the Prince!"

Even Gilder seemed giddy. "I guess that makes us big damn heroes," He noted calmly, grin wider than Vyse's for once. "Let's get down to business and explore this bad boy. You should get familiarized with your new ship, Vyse, and if there's any problems with it you should find out now and get it fixed."

Vyse said, "You're right. Enrique, this is the prototype, huh? So is it not finished yet?" He had a hard time believing the impressive specifications of their newly stolen airship were anything but top of the line.

"Indeed. About half of the planned armor components haven't been smelted or fitted, we're missing a few batteries of cannon, and our engines haven't been upgraded to Spectre-class yet. The _Delphinus_ is still a very capable charge, but until we can put in for refits, it won't be at it's full potential."

The sky began to gradually lighten as they talked, as they drew away from the dismal skies of Valua and towards upper Mid Ocean. Aika blinked, listening closely to a break in the animated conversation. "Hey, hold up a second. Anyone else hear that?" Another muffled rumble caught the edges of her perception, and then she heard nothing at all. Everyone strained to hear more. There was nothing. "I think we have another passenger," She said, pulling out her boomerang.

"Cupil, find who ever is onboard with us," Fina ordered. The small balloon-like being floated over her control panel and began to bounce against one of the storage compartments set into the back of the dashboard. A quick visual inspection revealed the hatch to the compartment, and Gilder approached it warily. The others stood poised to support him on a second's notice, and he tossed open the hatch, leaping backwards with guns drawn.

A red-haired scruffy kid was sitting in the dark compartment, his tattered dark-green clothing a stark contrast to the new and regal appearance of everything around him. He looked up at each of them and blinked suspiciously, taking in brighter light than he was used to. Vyse spoke up first. "Marco! What in the Moons are you doing here?"

"I overheard some guards making a lot of fuss about the Prince's hangar," He replied. "Thought I'd come by, swipe some food or gold, and get away, like usual. I find the soldiers getting it ready for launch- they said more than a month before schedule. I'm no idiot, so I recognized this as an adventure and stowed aboard." He paused. "Never expected you to steal it, though. Right out of Valua. You got balls, Vyse."

Enrique frowned in confusion. "You stowed away because you were curious?"

"Yup," The Lower City native replied, looking the noble teenager in the eyes. "You got a reputation for being nice, so I figured you wouldn't have me executed for hitchhiking- at least not before I got to see some interesting stuff."

"You have to go back," Vyse said flatly. "We can't have a kid sailing with us."

"You're barely teenagers," Marco retorted. "I know all about the streets, and I can help out around the ship. Besides, what are you gonna do? Take me home, to Valua? I'm sure they'll give plenty of shit about some street urchin, and will forget all about their mission to kill you." He had to admit the Valuan made a fairly good argument.

Vyse sighed. "... Alright. I guess we don't have much choice. Consider yourself the first member of my crew. You can be... urm... a sailor." _On a ship, everyone's a sailor, but Dad taught me that a man called 'sailor' by other sailors is code for 'swabber of decks' and other stuff. No way am I letting him wrestle a gun or pilot or anything._

The younger kid's eyes lit up in a way they probably hadn't for a while. "A real sailor? Awesome! I'll do my part on your crew, honest! You just wait and see!" He emerged from the storage compartment, standing before the five Rogues.

Gilder nodded. "Already one surprise. Let's split up and get moving. We've got plenty of time- even with a rig like this the journey to Sailors' Island won't take less than three days from Valua." He remained on the bridge to search for any other problems or hidden storage compartments, while Aika went below the decks to check out the accommodations, Fina went to the high lookout post on the tallest point of the ship, and Vyse went to the engineering section to personally examine the reactor and turbines. Enrique had gone down to examine the ship's large array of cannons and torpedoes.

The teenager walked through a set of long, clean hallways dotted with doors that led to various rooms, before finally emerging down an open ramp into a literally cavernous structure. Thundering in the middle of the huge room was the generator, five metal wheels spinning on a stationary axle, mounted on a large metal machine under it. Lightning bolts flickered across it's glowing surface, and the noise it put out was not loud, but not quiet either. The moonstone chambers sat in a ring around it, each one filled to the brim with potent Yellow meteorites which had been distilled to the best ability of the Empire's chemists.

Machinery and control panels lined the walls, and the work stations were scatted about amongst the myriad technology. First-aid kits hung from the wall along with toolboxes of supplies and repair kids just in case of an emergency, as well as a blue moonstone for extinguishing fires. Vyse crossed his arms, walking on the walkway overseeing the entire room. "This is a very impressive airship," He said to no one in particular. His voice echoed.

"How convenient," A grave young female voice stated. Vyse looked over, expecting to see Aika or Fina, but nobody was visible in the room. The voice continued, "I was planning to merely steal the ship myself, kill the prince, and use it to blast you out of the sky... but I need not have searched, Vyse Dyne."

The voice struck a chord in his memory, and his hands snapped down to the hilts of his cutlasses on his belt. _That psycho who boarded us in South Ocean!_ She must have been hiding in wait somewhere, and he tried to reach out with his small magical perception to find her. A strong murderous intent radiated from his left side, and that's where he faced. "Piastol," He said. "Back for seconds, huh?"

"This time will be different," Piastol pledged, her tone as rancorous as he had ever heard anyone address him before. "The Angel of Death returns, and this time your friends aren't here to support you. I've already taken care of the Silvite, and after I kill you the rest of the crew will be easy to pick off one-by-one."

Vyse drew in breath. "Fina? What did you do to her?" He felt dread and apprehension well up in his gut as the deadly bounty hunter seemingly emerged from the shadows less than ten meters from him.

The young woman would have been described as pretty, if it were not for her hardcore black leather and metal outfit, which was tight and skimpy but afforded magical protection. Her hair was a snow-white natural color and closely trimmed, shorter than his own brown mop, and two feathers poked out from her small cap. Her weapon, the gigantic scythe tipped by silver moonstone alloy, was clutched in one powerful hand, and the other one was clenching in a fist. Almost as if she herself had been forged of silver moonstones, her skin was a deathly pale, eyes dark orbs of hatred that sent chills into his mind.

Behind her was a small green animal with pointy long fur that resembled a Huskra, apparently her companion or pet. It barked occasionally and shifted nervously, and he felt strange powers from it, but paid it little notice as he worried about Fina.

Piastol laughed, but there was no trace of amusement in the room. "What, so suddenly you care about innocent life? I find that hard to believe. Valua wants her so badly I will fetch 100,000 gold for her, so know she still lives, but is bound and under spell in your cargo gold." She twirled the scythe and brought it up into a battle stance. "You, however, will find your end now! I will finally have my justice!"

"Justice?" Vyse blinked, drawing his own weapons with a slight flourish and preparing to defend himself. "Look, I don't know what the hell your problem is, but I won't let you take Fina, or hurt any of my friends." He fastened his face into a mask of determination, now ready for battle.

"You are the only man besides one to ever escape my blade the first time. You will not be so lucky again! _En Guarde_!" Charging forward with a speed he could never hope to copy, she leveled her scythe and went on the attack. Vyse parried while stepping back, trying to maintain distance, as although her weapon was longer it's reach was actually less than his pirate cutlasses. Magical sparks leapt forward each time their blades met, and he was keenly aware of the fatal powers of Silver moonstones.

He leapt up onto the railing with agility, diving backwards and flipping in the air. Bolts of lightning flashed to either side of him, even as Piastol leapt up to pursue him. N_o way! Casting magic without a stable base isn't possible!_ Confused for a moment, he looked up and saw the creature with rings of yellow light surrounding it. O_h... the pet is magically adept. It must provide her with her mage support. I should worry about it after I get her off my back!_

Soon it became apparent that despite any maneuvers or skills he tried, getting any distance from his attacker was not possible. She went after him with such fury, excess will power tinged the air around her with a slight glow. He was able twice to score minor hits on her because of her more unwieldy scythe, but received four cuts from her in return. Each time he fought to stay awake, feeling small bits of Silver Magic flood into his veins. He felt cold and clammy already.

To add to his problems, each time he hit her, the creature, which he believed was called a Death Hound, simply pumped it's master with Green Magic and made the injuries disappear. It also sent Increm and Quicka spells her way, increasing her considerable power and making the fight more uneven. The only way he kept up was occasionally putting himself in the way and getting hit by the power spells, giving him some extra speed himself.

The sounds of battle echoed through the huge room, and they darted from cover and around each other, each time their strikes precise, powerful and quick, and each time a parry of equal power met them. Although neither of them had a clear advantage, Vyse was starting to feel the strain of combat and breathed heavily, forcing himself to calm down.

_I need a plan,_ he decided. _At the current rate, I'm going to die!_ This thought spurred his brain into motion, and he remembered the talking tube. _Gilder's on the bridge! I need to get him down here- if he can get Enrique and Aika, they can give me a hand and we'll turn the tables on this freak. But how..._ She had been pushing him intentionally away from the large funnel connected to the pipe running up the wall, and it was a significant distance from him.

Occasionally she gave voice to the thoughts running through his own mind. "This time there is no escape for you! You are going to die right now, on the cusp of your greatest victory! I am the Angel of Death- the heavens themselves descend upon you!"

"Hey, shut up," Vyse growled, leaning behind a metal post but kicking himself off moments before a Pyri spell covered it in a sheet of magical flame. "I can't hear myself think with your crazy ramblings. You're getting annoying."

"Tired of this, are we?" Piastol asked, mercilessly leaping up and sending an air strike for him. He scampered out of the way but a part of his shoulder was ripped into, and droplets of his blood flew into the air. "Well, you soon won't have any more troubles at all. Don't worry, though... you won't be alone in Deep Sky- I will be sure to send your meddlesome followers there after you!"

He tried to move the arm that had been hit several times, and whose sleeve was covered in his own blood. He found the limb sluggish and barely responsive, and feeling almost frozen. The effects of Silver Magic on the body were well-known to most Arcadians, and he knew that unless he could get Green magic into his body soon, he would loose the afflicted areas permanently. Luckily his feet worked well enough, and he took Piastol in circles around the enormous main reactor, desperately fending her off.

Piastol, like an air shark drawn to the smell of blood, sensed his weakening power and pressed the offensive, and the Death Hound never let up it's bombardment of spells. Vyse slipped on one of his jumps, tumbling to the hard metal floor and loosing grip of both of his swords. He gasped for breath, his head wildly swimming and his body unresponsive. She walked up to him, readying her scythe. They made eye contact, and the fear in his eyes only seemed to strengthen her resolve.

"Now, Vyse... you are defeated. For your crimes, the sins that forged me, you will die." She twirled her scythe around to over her head, glaring down at him. Vyse looked away, squeezing his eyes shut and gasping.

The boom exploded through the air of the room, the sharp report of the pistol startling the bounty hunter for a half a second needed for the well-placed bullet to forcefully shove the scythe out of her hands and make it fly against the far wall with the clatter of metal-on-metal encounter. She looked up in surprise, and saw standing in the doorway the red-coated figure of Gilder, his pistols smoking from discharge. "You!" She breathed, and he smirked.

"Hello again, Piastol," Gilder replied, walking into the room calmly. "I thought you might try to pull something like this, and when Fina didn't report in I knew something was wrong. I hope for your sake she's ok."

She glared at him. "Gilder the Unfettered... the only other man to survive my assault... so, you sail with this filth now? Then you die with him today! Death Hound! Eternum!" The canine barked once in confirmation, and white light began to flood the entire room. Her vision lost definition and she felt the power emanating from her familiar through their telepathic bond.

Gilder began laughing once the powerful death spell discharged. The energy bounced off an invisible shell around him, and when the lights returned to normal she was shocked to find him unmarked and still standing. "I didn't come here alone, of course. I didn't survive your hunt by being stupid. Aika, Enrique, move now!" The redhead and the prince both emerged on the walkway, Aika having just concentrated all of her power into her Delta Shield around Gilder. Enrique clutched his yellow-enchanted royal rapier and looked ready for a fight.

"Damn you," She spat. "Even with reinforcements, you can't stop me from completing my quest." She looked over at Vyse, laying prostrate and barely alive. "I will rip out your heart with my bare hands!" The teenager harbored no illusions that she would hesitate to do such a thing.

Aika gasped when she saw Vyse. "_No! Vyse!_" Distracted, she found herself vulnerable as her Delta Shield lapsed. Taking full advantage, the Death Hound instantly summoned Weevil, and used the jet of magical water to push her over the edge. She fell with a dull thump, landing hard on the ground, to the horror of Gilder, Enrique and Vyse. Piastol watched with satisfaction as she showed no sign of movement or consciousness.

"Kill the others," She ordered her pet. "I need only a minute for this." She knelt next to Vyse, concentrating power into her hand. Vyse couldn't even get the strength to protest, watching her fingers begin to glow.

Enrique took the initiative with a new found rage, charging forward before the Death Hound could even begin another spell. "Face my blade, beast," He yelled gallantly, acting on his years of swordsmanship training. With a lucky first strike, he cleanly beheaded the villainous pet and turned around, watching with a mix of horror and fascination as it's blood covered the pristine metal floor and it's lifeless head rolled against the railing of the walkway. He looked back towards Gilder, and the pirate nodded.

Piastol plunged her charged hand into Vyse's chest, and now he found voice, crying out as the worse pain he had ever felt in his entire life washed over him. Her power was literally stabbing down into his heart, squeezing it and wracking him with schisms. She did not relent, continuing to literally crush the life from him.

_The others did their jobs- my turn. One shot, one kill... one shot, one kill._ Gilder raised one of his pistols, holstering the other one to more steadily aim the firearm. Taking a moment more to draw his bead on the stationary form of Piastol, he pushed aside his fear, doubt, and anger, squeezing the trigger. Flame belched from the narrow barrel of the Nasrian design, and the bullet was pushed through the air faster than the speed of sound.

She clenched up and twisted sideways from the force of impact, her attack broken. Falling next to Vyse, she felt the fiery pain in her shoulder and knew she had been solidly hit. Even her expertise did not help her with the suffering she now felt, only dimly perceiving Gilder running over to Vyse and pouring on Sacres and Sacrum Crystals in desperation.

The older man was tensely waiting and listening to Vyse's irregular heartbeat. If his Green magic failed to take root in time, then it was almost certain that he would be killed. Seeing Piastol shifting in his peripheral vision, he drew one of his pistols and pressed it to her temple, ready to fire. "This fight is over," He said seriously. A moment later she sighed and laid back on the metal deck. "And if he's dead, so are you." He knew she wouldn't care, but he did, more than he thought he did.

Enrique had leapt down and landed expertly next to Aika, applying first-aid with his own magic and crystals and making sure there were no serious injuries. He was relieved to find that the girl's spine was in-tact, and although she might have twisted a few bones, nothing was even seriously broken besides some bruising on her side. She slowly opened her eyes and groaned. "Enrique... is Vyse ok?" She asked quietly.

_Such devotion_, the sheltered Valuan thought, smiling gently. "The girl's down, and Gilder's healing Vyse right now. Oh, and you're also going to be quite fine after some minor mending." He watched obvious relief play across her beautiful features. "I'm going to go get Fina and make sure that she is not harmed. Is that ok?" She nodded, and he stood up, nodding again to Gilder before running out of the room.

Green light played across his shut eyes and he winced, trying to curl up into a ball but finding most of his body unresponsive. "Ugh..." He said intelligently, briefly opening one of his eyes and looking up at Gilder, illuminated by the back light of green magic playing across his broken body. "Gilder?" He said drowsily. "Feel like shit."

"You look like shit, too," The pirate chuckled. "Don't worry, Vyse. If you've regained the ability to move your face, then the rest of your body should recover, even though you got a _shitload_ of Silver magics in you." He nodded to Piastol, who laid next to him. "She's under control. Everyone's fine, his Royal Prettiness is going to check on Fina now." Vyse nodded weakly, the action seeming to greatly drain whatever energy remained in him. "Get some rest."

"Again I am thwarted by these pirates..." Piastol said in frustration, staring into the cold steel that pressed itself into her skin of Gilder's pistol. "Why? Why do you interfere on his behalf? My quest for Vyse has nothing to do with you."

"Oh, it has everything to do with me. He's my friend," Gilder replied. "And unlike scumbag bounty hunters, Blue Rogues never leave a man behind. Piastol, you keep this up and you'll need to find a new line of work. In fact, I bet Sailors' Island will love to have you for an extended visit." He smirked. A lot of sailors were pirates, and all pirates hated and feared Piastol. Leaving her at the hub of all air travel now that Nasrad had been wiped out seemed not only convenient but poetic.

She turned over on her side away from him, falling silent again. Enrique soon arrived with Fina in tow, who was a little roughed up but was otherwise fine. The Silvite gasped when she saw the status of Aika, Vyse, and Piastol, and rushed to help her friends. She even removed Gilder's bullet from Piastol's shoulder, although the deadly huntress showed no appreciation or movement at all as the Sacres spell healed and replaced blood. She spoke up sadly, asking her, "... Why? Why are you trying to kill us, Miss Piastol? Why did you hurt my friends?"

Something in her hurt and vulnerable tone struck a deep chord in the bounty hunter, who turned to look up at her with eyes seething in the hatred of seven years. She growled, "_Vyse knows why_! He will always know why I hunt him! I swear I will kill you all one day!" Spitting blood into Fina's face, she was forced back down as Gilder slapped her across the cheek with the metal of the pistol. The gentle girl quietly wiped her blood off, quietly finishing her work and moving on to Aika.

"I'm sorry," She said to the redhead while she and Cupil helped her treat her remaining, mostly minor, injuries and sat her upright against the near wall. Aika blinked in confusion and she elaborated. "I let her sneak up on me, even though I am trained in sensory perception... I was relaxed, and she took me prisoner without resistance... if I had seen her, I could have warned everyone, and Vyse and you wouldn't have been hurt..."

Aika frowned. "Fina..." Comforting words would not come, but seeing her like this was devastating to the usually loud and brash girl. Reaching up, she gently took one of her gloved hands in her own larger tanned hand and smiled. "Everyone makes mistakes. We're all just human, even Silvites are human beings, right?" Fina nodded. "See? It'll be ok. Nobody got permanently hurt, and we captured her in the end, huh?" She nodded again. "Alright. Now, if you'll excuse me... I've got to pass out again." Slumping forward again, she was caught by Fina and laid across the floor gently.

The prince had been watching from a distance, but he approached Fina now, and he smiled again, putting a hand on her shoulder. The familiar sense of comfort, the same when she had been in Valuan hands, was welcome, and she gave him a beautiful smile that made his cheeks begin to color.

"Wow..." Gilder observed, looking around. "Well, at least we won. Hey, Enrique, does the _Delphinus_ have a brig? We've still got days to go until we reach Sailors' Island, and I'd rather have this bitch behind bars the whole time."

Enrique nodded. "Indeed. This ship has high-security prison facilities, which can be reached from the stairway through the door over there." He pointed to one of the gold-plated bulkheads which seemed to indicate that it was an entryway or exit from an important part of the battle cruiser. "They're all linked to alarm systems through the bridge, so if she escapes, we'll know about it. The alarm also automatically locks down the lifeboat bays, so she won't be able to steal a ship."

"Stand up," He ordered, and watched the killer comply with his order. "Come with me, Enrique, so if she tries anything we can kill her easy." They frog-marched her down through the ship and into the brig, placing her in one of the maximum-security cells and locking down the entire section.

Next, they gently brought Vyse and Aika into the ship's fully equipped medical bay, laying them down and letting them rest, and finally finished exploring the ship. Gilder was sitting on the lookout tower, scanning the cloudy skies for any sign of other ships. In the distance two black dots appeared, and he squinted, picking up a spyglass from his coat and zooming in.

The familiar and unique configuration of black sails on the lead vessel left no doubt. He grinned. "Finally, some good news." He zoomed in closer on the other, more traditional, sailboat. Clara was already on the deck, and he could see her. "... wonder if Piastol's offer to kill me is still open..."


	9. Help Wanted

Chapter Nine- Help Wanted

The three ships side-by-side were possibly the most unique flotilla in the history of sailing. In the middle was the mighty former Valuan royal flagship, the _Delphinus_, to it's left was the pirate broadside cruiser _Claudia_, her unique sails fully drawn out across the proud sky, and to it's right was the pink and creme-colored pirate galleon, the _Primrose_. Both of the Blue Rogue ships had taken up a formation around Vyse's new find, the three all headed south at a cruising velocity.

Vyse and his small crew, along with Gilder, David and Clara, were on the bridge of the modern ship in meeting. Clara had been true to her pledge to find Gilder and never let him go, tenaciously clinging to his arm and rubbing against it in a way that made Gilder supremely uncomfortable. He looked over pleadingly at his Vice Captain, who shrugged helplessly. There was no known way to stop Clara once she set her sights on something.

"We escaped from the Grand Fortress again," Aika said with a grin. "That's got to be worth something. And we're all back together finally, too- I'm happy about that. Oh, and we have this too, the _most advanced ship in the world_!" Fina nodded in agreement.

"Some of us are more happy at this reunion than others," Gilder deadpanned, looking over at Clara like a victim might examine a large sky-leech that has attached to his arm.

"Oh Gilder, I'm so happy," Clara giggled like a school girl and re-tightened her grip on the man's arm, happily rubbing her cheek against the smooth fabric of his red coat sleeve. "I'll never let go of you, my love! Never! Not in a thousand years!"

"Out of one prison, into the next, huh boss?" David asked, crossing his arms. Gilder nodded sadly.

Aika laughed. "Aw, what's wrong, Gilder? She really seems to like you, and I think you two would make a really cute couple."

Fina smiled. "I'm very happy for you, Clara," She said politely.

"Ooh, thank you, Fina!" Clara showed no signs of loosening her iron grip on him, much to the man's chagrin. "This is too good to be true! This is quite possibly the happiest day of my whole life!" Gilder expressed in strong terms that he dissented, but his foul language was only shocking to Enrique, and made the kindly Prince blush at it's temerity.

After he had finished implying Clara's bloodline was not very clean at all, he sighed loudly and concluded, "You know, I'm really starting to miss that Death Row cell ... ah, the good old days of... yesterday evening..."

David chuckled. "Well, looks like you all just got a fine new ship. The first task of a crew with a ship is always to decide who their captain is." He looked over towards Vyse. "I don't know you very well, but everyone seems drawn to follow you, and you sound like a really brave fellow. Either that or you're crazy. Either way I think you should take the job."

Vyse blinked. "... Me? Captain of the _Delphinus_? I mean, shouldn't you do that, Enrique, since it is really your ship?"

The prince shook his head. "No. I already gave the ship to you all, and I have no sailing experience. I would feel much more comfortable with you in command." He smiled graciously at the rogue teenager.

The redhead grinned, looking over at him. "I know who'd I cast my vote for." She put her hands onto her hips. "Vyse, you're the best man for the job, any way you look at it." He looked over at her in surprise.

"I would also feel better if you were our captain," Fina agreed. Cupil voiced his assent by his usual method- high-pitched chirping. He was currently flying about the room and playing a variant of tag with Willy. The parrot mimicked his chirping, which was quite ridiculous to hear out of the bird.

"You're a great sailor and a good leader, Vyse. You'll make a damn fine captain," Gilder said sagely, still occasionally glaring sideways out the corner of his eye at Clara. She was apparently oblivious to this.

Enrique looked over. "Well, it looks like it's a unanimous decision. Vyse, will you accept the responsibility as captain of the _Delphinus_ and her crew?"

Vyse took a moment to consider, then gave them all the thumbs-up sign and his usual confident smile. "I'll do it." _At such a young age I'm already a captain. Wonder what dad would make of this._

The redhead giggled. "That's what I wanted to hear. There's that decisive Vyse that most of us know and love/hate." She snapped. "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot... we need a new flag. No offense, Enrique, but if I have to have the coat of arms of the Valuan royal family hanging behind me on this voyage I'll get violently ill."

"You're right, Aika." Gilder said, giving his arm an experimental tug and not surprised to find it couldn't move at all. "Every crew needs a flag to symbolize what they stand for. The _Claudia_'s flag is the same one as the metal buckles on my coat, and Clara here's got hearts and shit. Big shock, huh? You should get working on that quick as possible, since it is kind of important symbolically and all that."

"Agreed," Enrique nodded. "I think Vyse, Aika and Fina should put down their ideas. Being a prince of Valua, I'm not really up to designing an Air Pirate flag, but if you need an opinion feel free to come to me. I am quite the artist if I do say so myself."

Fina looked up. "What? You want me to design one, as well?" Cupil tittered about behind her.

"Sure, it'll be fun," Aika encouraged her, giggling. "It's real simple, too. Vyse for example just scribbles lines, and his work usually isn't too horrible to look at." Vyse glared at her and she stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

"Horrible! Horrible!" Willy blithely echoed, finding a perch on Gilder's free shoulder and flapping his wings enthusiastically. Vyse glared at him, too, but the parrot seemed not to notice. Aika laughed at this display.

David nodded. "To run a ship this big, you'll need more than five people and a street urchin, that's for sure. Gilder, if you return to the _Claudia_ and stop neglecting your own Captaincy, I think I'm going to stay aboard the _Delphinus_ and help the kids out. If you'll have me, Vyse."

He nodded. "I think that's a pretty good idea, Dave. Without someone to guide them with our wisdom, they might fly into an island or something." He idly stroked Willy with his free hand, and the parrot cooed in response. "So, how about it, Vyse? Need a Vice Captain?"

"Sure," The teenager replied. "The more the merrier. We're going to start recruiting crew anyway. I'm sure there's tons of seasoned sailors out there who'd love to join a rebellion against Valua."

"Ooh, if you need more help I can send over someone as well," Clara volunteered, stopping her rubbing and looking back towards Vyse giddily. "I can send a crew of my gunners over. It's no problem, I have enough girls to manage the _Primrose_ anyways, and they could benefit from some experience."

"Awesome," Aika chirped. "These batteries of cannons should be able to fire remotely, but I can't figure out most of these controls yet. They'll probably be able to."

"Now that that's settled, I'm getting pretty hungry," Gilder said. "We've all had a nice rest, and Sailors' Island is still almost two days of sailing away. The _Delphinus_ has a fully stocked mess hall- I vote our crews all dine over here today." Everyone was in favor of the notion, and so Gilder and Clara parted ways. The moment was bitter-sweet: Gilder was sweet, Clara was bitter about it. They boarded their ships and collected their pirate crews, bringing them aboard.

The contrast between the two leaders' charges could not be more startling. Clara led a herd of females, running the gamut from children to several old ladies, and everyone in between. They all loudly marveled at the Valuan flagship as they made their way to the cafeteria. Gilder followed with his men, a small band of rough and skilled pirate men who nodded in appraisal of the ship and pointed out specific design features.

The mess hall was a grand room, especially by conventional ship standards. A large golden chandelier hung overhead, and the second story was where people entered and climbed down a flight of elegant oak-wood stairs to reach the many long square tables. The floor was a clean marble-color, and grand wide windows with royal red curtains gave them full view to the bright and clear skies of the day. Paintings of sailing, ships and islands lined the walls.

"They certainly spared no expense for you, Enrique," Aika noted, which induced a slight embarrassed cough from the prince and an assurance that he had asked for the economy treatment. She was left wondering what the deluxe would be. "Hey, where's Marco? I haven't seen him in a while."

"Yo," He called out, leaning against the railing of the stairs. "I've been swabbing the decks, just like Vyse told me to. I also might have accidentally heard most of your meeting."

Gilder chuckled. "I like this kid. He's got _juevos_, as they say in Nasrad. Or, used to say... anyway, he'll make a fine air pirate." This seemed to make Marco very happy. "I assume you heard Vyse is the new captain, huh? You think you can handle taking orders from him?"

"Of course," Marco replied with a grin. "This is my big chance- I'm finally out of that shithole city, and I'm a sailor. Vyse gave me that chance, and I'll repay my debt fair and square. Plus, it looks like being on this ship is gonna get really interesting. So, what's for chow?"

"I can't cook," Aika shrugged.

Vyse nodded, laughing. "Damn right she can't. Last time she tried to cook was three years ago, back on Pirate Isle. Briggs and Landis got consumption just from looking at it funny." Several of the pirates joined him in laughing while Aika frowned and glared.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Clara said. "I can cook good enough for everyone. I learned to cook so that I could be the best wife I could possibly be for my Gilder!" Gilder did not seem as honored as he might have been by this announcement. Everyone took a seat and begin to talk while she quickly descended upon the kitchen and began to roast several pounds of steak and air fish stored aboard.

When she had made a suitable meal, her crew helped pass out the food to the eager Blue Rogues. Everyone's appetites were out in full force as they devoured the royal fare of the _Delphinus_. Enrique smiled. "This is the first time I've eaten meat without having it cut for me..." Reaching for his knife, he made quite a show of trying and failing to correctly cut his steak. Vyse reached over and helped him, much to his chagrin.

"It takes practice," He said consolingly. "Don't worry about it. Like Aika said, we're all human. Or in Aika's case, she's Aika." Aika glowered lethally at him and he chuckled in a clearly nervous manner. Vyse was the last one to finish, his titanic hunger requiring seven dishes to sate partially. The Blue Rogues had gathered around him, watching him tear through entire fish and enormous cuts of meat like they were nothing, and placing bets as to when he would finally stop.

Clara sighed. "That boy's got a hunger like I've ever seen before!" Gilder was leaning on the kitchen counter, and nodded his head.

"Yeah. I guess crazy people eat more than us 'regular' people. Using the loosest possible definition of 'regular'. And 'people'." He looked up. "I'll be back." She was about to protest, but he had mastered the art of escaping her clutches. Bringing Vyse along, he slipped up to the bridge.

"What's up?" Vyse asked, giving the bridge a once-over before his gaze returned to Gilder.

"We're going to be leaving in an hour or two," Gilder replied. "My men have slowly begun to filter out of the mess hall after seeming to be full, one at a time, and totally covert. The _Claudia_'s ready to change course- we're going to beeline for Nasr and try to get out of visual range." He leaned forward soberly, elbow resting on the wooden table.

The teenager recoiled unhappily. "What?! You're just going to leave like that?" Loosing the experience and skill of the man who had saved his life was seeming like a bad thing. "Sounds like you planned this out."

"Oh, you know it." He grinned his usual roguish smirk. "Rule One: Always have a plan. I figure this is my only chance to get free of Clara before the end of time. I really don't think I'm ready to settle down just yet, you know. Plenty of sky in Arcadia still."

Vyse smirked. "Oh, sure you are. You'll like settling down with her, she'd make a great wife. Besides, you two are a cute couple, like Aika said."

Gilder's expression was pained. "Hey! Don't even joke about something like that!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist," He replied. _Honestly, I think some of your behavior is rubbing off on me. Not that I need any more reason to be suicidally brave._ "Seriously, though, we're all gonna miss you. You're a great man and a cool pirate, Gilder."

"Thanks. Before I go, I figured I'd pull you aside and give you some advise, from one captain to another." Interested, Vyse looked up. Gilder had a look of wisdom about him that was rarely seen on his aspect, but which seemed to fit him well. "First thing- get a crew. David touched on this, and he's gonna help you find more volunteers. A ship this big needs at least thirty men to operate it well. I hear the Valuans crew their ships with over a hundred sailors. Specialize, and each person you can get will increase your ship's operational power and efficiency.

Second... you'll need a base. Every ship needs to have a safe port to tuck into once in a while, and your crew will appreciate having fresh meals and warm beds on occasion. Hm... how about that island we picked you up from... you called it Crescent Isle? Seems like a nice out of the way locale for a home base. I'll send some helpers to get you set up there, that should be your next course after you stop off at Sailors' Island.

And finally, and this is the most important... never give up." He smiled warmly. "I don't know weather it's sunk in yet or not, but you've done amazing things, especially for a teenager. You've escaped from Valua twice, crossed South Ocean, found Daccat's Treasure, beat three admirals into the dirt, and stole the pride of their Armada and their crown prince from under their large noses. Not to mention that you've put two Gigas out of commission.

For some reason, everyone feels drawn to you, and wants to follow your leadership. Myself included, even though at times you are a little crazy. Or actually, it's because you're stubborn. You never give up, even when things look bleak. If something gets in your way you don't let it slow you down one bit.

Your crew all knows your caliber, and knows you'll always do everything in your power to protect them. I see it in the way they all look at you. On this bridge, with this fine ship, you're going to sail around the world.

You'll probably run into things ten times more dangerous than anything you've fought before... find challenges never before thought up in history, and discover mysteries and treasures that are beyond imagination. Whatever happens, Vyse, you gotta keep going. Never give up. That's what it means to be a man, and a Blue Rogue. You're both."

Vyse found himself moved by the truthful eloquence of the older pirate. He smiled and said, "Thanks, Gilder..."

"Now, I have to get moving, before Clara gets suspicious," He said, winking and walking out of the bridge. "We'll meet again, Vyse, somewhere out there in the great blue beyond. Until that time, good luck." On his way out, Gilder swung by the brig and was not shocked at all to find all of the cells empty. Piastol had escaped. _She never could be confined... too bad. She's pretty evil._

0-0

The last months had changed history in so many ways, and truly these were exciting times to live in. Dyne sat against the railing of the runabout _Athersprite_, traveling with his wiry Vice Captain and portly Navigator from their home base on Pirate Isle over to Sailors' Island to purchase their monthly supplies. The small wooden ship was an old classical design, identical to the destroyed _Diligent_ and the only operational ship they had. It's blank blue sails billowed in the strong wind, pushing them forward at a respectable pace. The sky was blue, and the sun was out and shining in the air.

The three men had been the best of friends for nearly their entire lives. Each of them had grown up on Emerald Isle, a small port down situated amongst the enormous island atolls scattered across southern Mid Ocean. They shared a bond of familiarity that made it only natural that they were all in the same crew. Dyne looked back towards the pilothouse, where Briggs and Landis were talking.

"So, are we lost?" Briggs asked, looking over to Landis but never allowing his hands to leave the wooden steering wheel of the airship.

"No, not a chance," Landis replied. "I plotted our course exactly, as usual. We passed the _Isla de la plata_ an hour ago, which means we should be seeing the Falls by now. I don't see any island waterfall chains, do you? You probably flew the wrong way."

Dyne interrupted their bickering with "Land ho," Pointing towards the distant Sailors' Island. It was surrounded by many dots, the shapes of ships moving in and out of the large dock complex for the landmass. It's traffic had increased from it's usual busy pace to a crowded super hub when Nasrad had fallen, leaving it as the most centralized trade location in the world. "See? You're both wrong."

"Nice leadership, boss," Landis chuckled. "Alright... let's see... we need three gross of Sacri crystals... a baker's dozen red moonstones, five hundred kilos of building-grade wood, and foodstuffs for a hundred people... what else..." He went over the mental shopping notes he had memorized when they had left their home several hours before on the short voyage.

A lot of people called the small slab of metropolitan rock the middle of the world, and with good reason- it was nearly central between the Mid Ocean islands, Valua, and Nasr. A convenient trading post founded by Valua three hundred years ago, eventually the island rebelled when the Valuans found their empire stretched too thin, and ever since it had rivaled Nasrad for anti-Valuan sentiments. Unlike the desert nation's destroyed capitol, the Armada dared not attack it. It's valuable position made it invulnerable to expansion.

The _Athersprite_ moved up, passing clusters of freely floating ships of several different styles, the multinational gathering of craft waiting for docks to open. Dyne looked up in surprise at a ship waiting at the fringes of the groupings, a sleek Valuan airship that was gray and purple and looked highly advanced. He squinted. _I've never seen such a vessel before. Must be a new class of bucket head battleship... I'll need to consult with my sources on the island about it. I shouldn't worry, not even they are stupid enough to try anything on Sailors' Island._

They quickly found an open hangar and grabbed it, nestling into the sheltered building and powering down the ship's old engines. Landis nodded. "Alright. Let's get moving. We'll meet back at the _Sprite_ in two hours with all of our stuff. Don't be late, Briggs."

"Look who's talking," The thin and tall Vice Captain retorted. "You nearly got us killed back in Valua because you were too slow to the rescue." He looked around. "Nice day... barely any clouds in middle sky today."

Dyne nodded. "Very well." He climbed down the boarding ramp and entered the town, headed for the Sailors' Guild. Something about that Valuan ship bugged him, and he meant to get to the bottom of the matter. Entering the establishment, he got quite a shock, seeing his son, Aika, Fina, and the prince of Valua standing at the desk and talking to the Guildmaster.

"Alright... that's 3,000 for defeating Gordo the Round... and 10,000 for the five discoveries... anything else?" The Valuan-born man was always sad to part with hard-earned gold pieces, but these finds were well worth the sums alloted. He hefted two bags full of jangling gold coins up onto the counter, and Aika greedily swept them up and took them. "Oh, afternoon, Dyne," He called to the man standing in mute shock in the doorway, "Fine day for a sail, huh?"

"... Dyne?" The four teenagers froze, then slowly turned around. Vyse's eyes met his father's, and they both blinked for several seconds. Then he cried out. "Dad!" And ran over to him, giving him a big hug. Aika emulated him, while Fina and Enrique opted for the calmer walking over and bowing to him.

"Son," Dyne said, "Fancy seeing you here... it's been quite a while, hasn't it? Haven't heard much but whispers about you. They tell me you were thought lost, you beat three Valuan Admirals, and you stole a Valuan ship in the process!" He chuckled.

Vyse nodded. "We've had quite a time. C'mon, let's go to the tavern where we can tell you our story."

Dyne's thoughts about the mysterious Valuan ship would certainly have to wait. "Hold on a second, son. Landis and Briggs are also here, let's go get them and bring them in. Landis can never resist a good story, heh." They quickly located both of the Blue Storm veterans, who expressed surprise at seeing Vyse and his friends again, and double-took at the sight of Enrique.

"Vyse," Briggs nodded to him. "Good to see you again. You've made quite a name for yourself... they're calling you, and I quote... 'Vyse the Bold'."

Landis chuckled. "Well, convincing Prince Enrique to follow you around qualifies in my books. C'mon, Polly will love to hear this as well." They made their way over to the tavern which was familiar to all of the air pirates, but not to Enrique nor Fina. The owner greeted them with her usual enthusiasm, whipping up glasses of loqua and plates of food for them as they grabbed a large round table to sit around.

"Alright, son, go ahead," Dyne encouraged.

"Okay, so we were headed for Nasr, right, and we had just arrived at the port town of Maramba when..."

0-0

The hulking titan made his way through dull metal hallways, his large armor clanking occasionally and his footfalls making a light rumbling under him. With a well-maintained snow-white beard and weathered, tough face, Admiral Gregorio was well-known as the oldest officer in the entire Armada and the best defensive tactician in the history of Arcadia. He had been serving empress and country for over fifty years, and was an honorable old commander.

The woman he searched for seemed the opposite of him- shapely, beautiful, cunning and light, her specialty was evasion, deception, and seduction. Admiral Belleza, despite their vast differences, or perhaps because of them, was one of his close friends. She had been defeated by the man who had taken his beloved Prince, and if anyone could help him with his task, it would have to be her. He knocked on her chamber door several times.

The door clicked and stood ajar. Peeking out, she smiled and fully opened the door. "Gregorio, my friend. Welcome. What brings you aboard my flagship?" Her room was surprisingly soft and pink, a gentle contrast to the razor-sharp mind within her. Neither of them paid it much mind- Gregorio and her were both so used to the interior. He stepped in, closing the door behind himself.

"Belleza. I've come to ask your advice." His frowning, determined expression might have been mistaken for hostility with one not so closely familiar with the Admiral as she was.

"You could have done that over radio, Greg, or sent a messenger," She noted, sitting down at her desk and putting away her classified documents and large pen.

"Not without it being monitored. Lord Galcian's growing more paranoid- my personal correspondence is his public fare now. And I want your honest opinion, something impossible to do with less scrupulous overseers about human life." Both of them possessed indomitable moral compasses, and tried to do the best they could in serving the Armada and the Empress. Neither was bloodthirsty, and were both interested in saving lives. Such things would be disdained by the majority of other officers, who were all war hawks.

"Very well. You've come to ask me about Vyse, I suspect. The Silvite is known as much to me as yourself, and the Prince is much more familiar with you." She looked up calmly. "What do you want to know about him?"

"Everything you can tell me," Gregorio simply responded. "I am on a mission to get back the Prince, by force if needed, and any information on the enemy's leader is always welcome." _Enrique... why have you done this? Regardless, I will return you home. I swear it on my honor as a Valuan Admiral._

0-0

"That's quite a tale," Landis said, laughing. "You've been through more in four months than we have in our lives! Belleza and DeLoco, huh? I'm impressed. And you've gotten the _Delphinus_... I guess you always wanted to captain your own ship, so it only seems natural. You're so young, though. No wonder they call you 'Bold'. There's only one thing I don't get. Why are you here now?"

"Just passing through," Vyse replied. "We're going to get new supplies and equipment, meet a friend, and then we're headed for Nasr again."

"Hm... that won't do." Dyne smiled. "How would you feel about taking a slight detour, son? Your mother would love to see you, and Pirate Isle isn't seven hours flight from here. Everyone's been curious for news of your condition."

Vyse looked over at Fina. "Well, Fina? This quest is yours. I'd love to get home, but do we have the time?"

She blushed slightly. "We've not been hunting the Crystals for nearly a month now... another day shouldn't mean much. I wouldn't want to stop you from seeing your family and friends again." Aika smiled at her and she smiled back.

Briggs nodded. "Alright. We still need to get some stuff, and you can do your shopping as well. Meet us down at the docks in an hour." They parted ways there, the teenagers all going to the items shop first, and buying healing and magical crystals.

They went to the weapons shop next, and Vyse began to conduct business with the large muscular man. He bought a new set of cutlasses for a large price and purchased a new set of sailor's tunics for himself and an enchanted ring for both of the girls. Enrique was offered a blade but he declined, saying he was trained only in rapiers.

"What's the difference?" Aika asked.

"A rapier is a more refined, precise-strike weapon," Enrique said, reciting from a textbook he had memorized years ago. "A regular sword is for cutting an enemy, but a royal rapier is a weapon of class and honor, capable of minute attacks and precision unknown with cutlasses. My sword techniques all make use of speed and not strength, so wielding larger swords would throw me off."

A young boy walked out from behind the counter, striking up a conversation. "Hello," He said cheerfully. "My name is Pinata." The kid's skin was slightly bronzed, and his wide, inquisitive eyes were a dark brown. He wore a metal plate outfit that left his rotund belly exposed, and clutched a small wrench in his small hand.

"Hi there," Aika replied, leaning down and beaming. _What a cute little kid_. "Is this your son, sir?" She asked to the weaponry merchant.

The large man boomed with laugher. "Ah, nah, lass. He ain't my kid. He just hangs around occasional, helps me fix up some stuff. In return I try and answer his various questions. Real curious lad. He's already got his letters, too, and can write plenty."

Pinata glowed under the praise of the shop owner. "Well, I plan to be an explorer some day, and I need all the knowledge I can get. I'm going to be the first Arcadian to visit the Moons, you know."

Vyse smirked. The enormous scope of his stated goal reminded him of his own mission to sail across the entire world. "You talk big for such a little guy, Pinata. I like you. I got my own dream, to see what's beyond the horizon one day..." He paused. "You think you can bear to part with Sailors' Island for a while? I'm Vyse, captain of the _Delphinus_, and I'm searching for a new Blue Rogue crew."

"Sure," He exclaimed, leaping up excitedly into the air and grinning. "We'll get along just fine, Vyse. I know a whole bunch of stuff and'll help you out with whatever you ask."

The prince blinked. "Vyse, we've already got one young man onboard, and we're taking on another? I do not doubt his intellect, but being aboard our ship is going to be very dangerous. The Armada will stop at nothing to see you dead, not to mention the other obstacles to Fina's quest."

He frowned. "Hey, Enrique, Crown Prince of Valua, I can handle myself, huh? I won't be in the way. I promise. I could even give you tactical information- I listen well to the sailors who put in for new equipment at this shop."

Vyse nodded. "If you accept the risks, you're welcome to join us. You can be the ship's official... 'delegate'. There we go." Pinata quickly joined their group as they made their way out onto the streets. The teenager sighed, stretching out and looking up into the blue sky. "Man... the last time we were here, things were so different... you were our enemy, Enrique, and Fina was a Valuan hostage..." He looked down. "Captain Drachma agreed to help us save everyone here... at Polly's tavern four months ago."

His childhood friend put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "We'll find out what happened to him, alright? The world's not as big as everyone thinks it is. Yes, things are different, but everything's going to work out in the end." She looked up. "Now, let's get back to the docks, and meet back up with Cap'n Dyne-"

"Heard you were lookin' for a pilot." The low, mature voice interrupted her, and the group of Blue Rogues turned to look at it's source. Leaning against the wall of one of the many shops on the opposite side of the street was a thin, wiry man in a purple sailing jacket and with long, black hair that covered most of his face. His arms were crossed, and a heavy air of mystery shrouded his visage.

"Our ship's bigger than we were prepared for," Vyse replied, grinning. "So yes. You looking to sail the skies in the pride of the Armada to fight same Armada, friend?"

"Hm. My employer's motives are no concern of mine, but a good ship is always a bonus. My skills won't come to you for cheap though, Captain. I won't come to work for your crew for any less than ten-thousand, all up front."

"Ten thousand?" Aika's reaction was sorely negative. She frowned and glared at him. "We could almost buy our own ship for that! In fact, I did buy a ship for that two weeks ago!" Both Fina and Enrique silently watched this exchange.

"That's a steep cost for a helmsman," Vyse noted with a chuckle. "We could find a dozen men willing to work for cheaper, or nothing, on this island. What makes you such a valuable commodity?"

"Because I'm the best there is," He said simply.

Pinata frowned. "I've seen you around before... you're on the Imperial wanted lists. Lone Wolf Lawrence... you've got quite a reputation. However, talk is just talk. Why don't you prove it before we pour money at your feet?"

"Fair enough. I want five-thousand on the spot, and I'll work for you for a month. If you like the way I handle your ship, and I guarantee you will, you pay me an additional ten-thousand. For that I'll join your crew full-time until one of us dies or you dismiss me from service." He kicked off against the wall, standing up. "Trust me, if you knew all I was capable of, this is still a bargain."

"I still don't-" Aika was cut off again, this time by Vyse.

"Deal," He said, nodding and pulling out his coin purse. Taking out a rather solid amount, he tossed the common gold coins over. Lawrence spent less than a minute taking a silent count of the currency, then began to follow them. He said nothing else through the short journey to the docks area.

"Hold up for a moment, guys," Vyse told his crew. "Let's go inside the tavern, and see if Polly wants to join. It's unlikely she'll pick up her roots, but who knows. I know I'm not the only one who would appreciate a cook who doesn't do to our stomachs what she's supposed to do to Valuan troopers- _OW_! Yeesh." He rubbed his shoulder and Aika glared maliciously, following him with the others inside.

"Welcome back," She said, looking up as they all walked into the cozy establishment. "Well, Vyse, looks like you've got a nice following now. Your crew's starting to shape up nicely, good luck on your voyage."

"Actually, that's what we're here to talk about." Pinata said. "Miss Polly, I've had your cooking, everyone has, it's world famous. We'd love it if you would join our noble ranks."

The shapely woman blinked several times. "What, this is a joke, right? Me, an air pirate? I run a tavern, been doing it for twenty years and change. If you're serious about your offer, Vyse, then we need to talk in private in the kitchen." The teenager followed her into the kitchen, leaving his crew to wait. She wheeled on him. "You really want me to sail with you?"

"If you'll come along," He nodded. "You'd be helping to fight Valua, and we see a lot of adventure these days. As long as you accept the risk that some Admiral is going to blast us out of the sky, then we're all good to go. Of course, you probably don't want to, you know... you been doing this so long, and all..."

"Hm. Actually, I started the tavern originally to..." She cut herself off awkwardly, and paused for a moment. "Alright, you're a good enough kid, Vyse. Don't tell anyone else until I say you can, alright? This is private."

"On my honor," He replied. At her dubious look he chuckled. "Hey, I might be a pirate but I'm a Blue Rogue. We're the good guys, remember?"

"Sure. I started originally just to make ends meet, you know... I used to sail, a long time ago. With my husband. We had just had our first kid, and a second one was on the way. A huge storm hit our boat, tore it to shreds. A passing Nasr frigate sent across rescue teams and managed to save me, but our crew, Henry, and Reyes... they never came back." She looked down. "I haven't had much of a chance to sail since then, but I'd love to come along, if you'll help me look for my husband. Henry Robinson."

Vyse instantly replied, "Oh, Polly... sure. You can count on us, we'll help you find him. Eventually you'll need to tell the others but for now, your secret's safe with me."

"... But there's another problem... what'll happen to my Tavern if I'm off with you?"

"Oh, mom, go off on your adventure," A woman said, peeking through the door and smiling. She heavily resembled Polly. "I'm Anne, her kid, by the way. I can run the place while you're sailing with Captain Vyse. Don't worry about it, huh?"

"... Well... alright." Polly nodded. "Consider me a filthy, lying, pirate then."

"Baby steps," Vyse said nonchalantly, leading her out of the kitchen. "And, yet again my wondrous diplomatic ability has scored us a person no doubt _vital_ to our quest to save Arcadia," He bragged, twirling around and smirking. Aika and Fina giggled.

"So, can we finally go?" Aika asked. "Or do we need to recruit a janitor or something? I bet you Cap'n Dyne and the others left without us, heh."

"Right. Blue Rogues, to the docks!" Striking another heroic pose, he led his group forward.

0-0

The _Athersprite_ fit well into the _Delphinus_'s lifeboat hangar, coming to a rest near ten state of the art steel skiffs resting on launch tracks. The old wooden ship was secured to the metal deck by the three Blue Storm pirates, and they emerged. The whole ship's crew had turned out.

Vyse, the youthful captain, was at their head. To either side were his beautiful accomplices, Aika and Fina, and Enrique stood a little behind them. To one side, Lawrence stood quietly, observing as he always did, and Marco looked up in admiration at Dyne and the others. Pinata, David, and the gunnery crew from the Primrose, Belle and two other girls, stood to the other side.

The three girls were younger than Vyse but older than the kids, and the most noticeable feature was the nearly physically impossible size of Belle's breasts. As Vyse put it once to Aika in complaint, '_They might be ok gunners, but they make me have thoughts that would get me locked up in most nations!'_. They were cheerier than anyone else, and clumsy but good-meaning.

"Welcome, Dad," Vyse said with a smile. "This is the assortment of scoundrels I've whipped up into a crew so far. There's Belle over there with her friends, from the _Primrose_, David from the _Claudia_, Enrique, the Prince of Valua, you've met before, Lawrence, our pilot, a mysterious high-priced sailor enigma, Marco, a street urchin who stowed aboard before we stole the ship, and Pinata, a kid who wants to go to the Moons." He paused for breath and nodded. "And this ship is the _Delphinus_, the most advanced battle cruiser that was formerly in the Armada."

"I've heard of several of you," Briggs nodded. "A pleasure, all. The dirigible next to me is Landis. We're Dyne's main co-conspirators."

Landis blinked. "Dirigible... did he just insult me, boss?"

"I do believe he did," Dyne confirmed, smiling. "Well, son, like I said before, you've had so little time and yet you've truly changed the world. This ship is the most powerful I've ever seen. Everyone else will love to see it as well." He stepped forward, staring at Enrique. "We meet again. Me and my men all owe you our lives, your Majesty."

Enrique blushed slightly. "No, it was nothing, really. I only did it as an act of humanity.. .and please, call me Enrique, like Vyse and everyone else does. I'm a rebel prince now, and will resist Valua's evil ways with my very life."

Dyne nodded in approval. "You'll do just fine as a Blue Rogue, son. Well, Vyse, let's get up and see just how fast this pile of metal is. Your mother has an embarrassing level of charged up affection waiting for you at home."


	10. Home

Chapter Ten- Home

Timmus was one of the men in the employ of the Blue Storm, and he and his wife both lived on the pastoral Pirate Isle. In the four months since the Valuans attacked, it's inhabitants had been diligently working on repairs. Today he could barely see any evidence that the Valuans had ever been there at all, and smiled, looking up into the sky. The gunner was on lookout for the next few hours, and was waiting for the _Athersprite_ to return with more supplies.

When a ship appeared on the horizon, he was excited, right up until he took his skyglass and zoomed in to examine in. The large metal airship was nothing like the pirate skiff Dyne, Briggs and Landis had gone out in. It's design could only have originated from one country- Valua. He looked around the ship for any escorts, but it appeared that it was only a lone cruiser. This did little to ease his apprehension, for the _Albatross II_ was still being built and wasn't ready for battle, and even a single cruiser could sit above and rain fire upon them again.

Turning his head, a glint of blue caught his eye on the gray and purple airship. He squinted, looking closer and finding a large roll of blue cloth flapping valiantly in the steady winds of it's acceleration. On the cloth was a single skull drawn with white ink, and Timmus gasped. _That's the Captain's banner. What's he doing with that ship? I'd better go get Martha_.

"Are you sure they'll recognize the banner, Dad?" Vyse asked, looking over from the bridge. Lawrence stood in front of him, stoically guiding the _Delphinus_ forward in the mild winds of Mid Ocean.

Dyne nodded. "Positive. They'll want to know how we captured the pride of the Armada, but they won't try to shoot us. Now that I think about it, we don't have anything to shoot with on the island... the retrofit of our new sailboat is only about half completed." After Galcian's troops had destroyed the old _Albatross_, the Blue Rogues had quickly gotten to work building a duplicate but incorporating more modern designs.

"We're getting pretty close," David noted thoughtfully. "That little island off the main might be good for skiffs and shuttles, but the _Delphinus_ doesn't have a prayer of fitting up there. I think we should either send one of our lifeboats over, or we could bring the entire ship alongside the main island and run lines across to secure us in."

"I would invite you to use the harbor, but our ship is already inside there," Briggs noted.

"Ah, it's nothing big. We can hover for a bit. Alright, Lawrence, bring us aside gently. Marco, David, why don't you help us with the lines?" The Valuan child and tall Vice Captain both agreed, joining Vyse, Aika and Fina out on the deck. He looked around and saw Enrique leaning over the railing. "Heh. Air sickness finally taking hold, huh?"

"Yeah," Aika replied. "Poor guy. He was fine the entire trip to Sailor's Island but when he stepped back aboard ship he was sick as all hell. There's nothing for it but to give him time, but he isn't presenting the most regal picture right now."

Dyne was not too surprised to find a crowd gathering on the surface of the island near the edge, as the metal airship shifted directions and began to slowly slide up next to the island. Lawrence, he had to admit, had great skill in the way he handed the large and powerful creation like it was nothing at all. He walked out onto the deck, looking down on the island. The group of people roared and greeted him, and he waved back with a smirk.

Enrique's flagship was nearly one-fifth the size of the entire island, and the way the ship came to a rest meant they would be climbing down the ramp from the elevated main deck to the waiting ground. Vyse wound up and tossed his rope, and the pirate crewmen in the crowd caught it and secured it to the ground. The other tossed over their lines and soon the ship was secured by a dozen strong cables to the floating island that many of them called home.

"Hey, where's the ramp?" Aika looked around. "We probably just can't use a huge wooden board like we did on the _Little Jack_... I wonder how this ship was built to let people get out." Lawrence pressed a set of buttons and the side of the ship shook. Reconfiguring slightly, a large purple plate of armor slid up and connected with the deck, being pushed down to the ground and forming a stable walkway. "Oh... cool."

The crew all came up onto the deck, and the Blue Storm personally led them across. Vyse's mother was waiting for them at the foot of the long metal pillar, looking up at all of them in surprise. When he was close enough she enveloped Vyse in an enormous motherly hug. "Welcome home," She cooed.

"Thanks, mom," He mumbled agonizedly, watching Belle and Aika giggle at his treatment. "Thought since we were in the neighborhood, we'd drop in any say hello to everyone."

Everyone crowded around to get a look at the new visitors and Vyse's friends. Mabel's was the first lone voice able to be heard above the din of the excited masses. "Hey, Captain, that's Enrique, the Prince!" All attention instantly shifted to the hunched-over blonde teenager, who blinked absently.

"What in Deep Sky's he doing here?" Patch the Deckhand demanded. "And what's with the ship? And Vyse? That can't be your ship, can it?" He pointed to the impressively waiting airship floating just behind them.

"Well, technically it's Enrique's, but he's letting us borrow it. Check out the _Delphinus_, the most advanced ship ever stolen from the Grand Fortress in the midst of a jailbreak. And this time we used the ship to punch a hole in the damn wall." He waved to his crew. "These are my associates, Lawrence, Belle, Marco, David, Pinata, and Polly."

Several people recognized the crew- someone came up to slap David on the back, an action he was not comfortable at all with, while Belle got a lot of attention from all the males until their wives' death glares became too much to bear, and Polly's cooking was universally known. Despite their hatred of all things Valuan, the inhabitants of the island quickly warmed to the ill Prince, well aware that it was by his hand fortune had smiled upon them.

Dyne nodded. "Everyone, come on, settle down a little bit. You'll all hear Vyse's story eventually. What a story it is, too. First, let's get the _Athersprite_ back to dock- Briggs, handle that... Martha, stop hugging your son for a moment and go open the harbor for him... everyone, spread out for now! This island isn't big enough for all your crowding." The crowd slowly and reluctantly did begin to disperse.

"Hi, Vyse," Lyndsey said quietly, walking up to him with her two friends, the kids often seen playing around Pirate Island. "Welcome home." She bowed. "Your new friends look so impressive..."

"Yeah, and we had to pay an impressive fee for one of the sons of-" Aika was cut off by a well-placed elbow from David.

Vyse smiled. "Hey, Lyndsey. Long time no see, huh? It's good to be back home for a while. This is Marco and that's Pinata. These little boys are going to help us out on our mission."

"'Sup," Marco said gruffly, nodding to them and obviously enjoying the fact that he was slightly older and seemed very cool and intimidating to the Mid Ocean Kids.

"Salutations," Pinata noted next to him, waving his wrench in greeting and smiling widely. He seemed to make new people warm to him, and had soon made several new friends amongst the herd of little Blue Rogues. Both of them were taken soon enough from the rest of the crew to go play games, although Vyse was sure Marco was complaining about it under his breath.

"I hope Marco doesn't teach them, like, a thousand new ways to cuss," He said in reflection. "Helen and Briggs would both use my skull to make the new engine chamber for the _Albatross II_." He turned to his crew. "Anyway, you're all free to go wherever, socialize with people, and try to stay out of trouble. We'll be staying for the night here, and maybe a day or two more, so find some lodging with the people or you can bunk on ship, although I personally would love some solid ground. Basically, have fun and enjoy yourselves. Lawrence, you can wait aboard." This induced no retort from the stoic pirate but the simplest of gestures. Fina gasped as she saw the gesture.

Vyse now made it his job, along with Aika and Fina, to introduce the prince to everyone and tell their story as many times as possible in a given day. Working their way across the relatively small village, they got the greatest variety of reactions. Some barely believed the stories, others gained a profound respect for Vyse, and Grandma, the obstinate old lady who hadn't been moved from her house even during the Valuan assault on the island, nodded sagely and decided to give them some advice.

"Sonny, looks like you're a bit sick from the travel. Sleep on the shore for a while, and when you get your sky legs you'll be just fine. Until then, Moons help ya. And if you do decide to settle down with one of these girls, you should choose Aika. She's got some fire in her belly. Reminds me of me at her age." For about an hour after that, neither Aika nor Enrique's face returned to anything like their regular colors, and she kept glaring suspiciously at him, as if daring the future monarch to try anything. He was never foolish enough to do such a thing, anyway.

Polly entered Vyse's house, finding Dyne and Martha talking with David and Briggs. "Hey," She said simply. "Thanks for the hospitality, Dyne, Martha. I hope we're not imposing with our crew and ship."

"David said the same thing," Martha replied benevolently. "We told him not to worry, and same to you, Polly. We're glad to have you here. Did you know Vyse's birthday was last week? Apparently he and everyone else forgot about that in the general excitement of things. He's seventeen now, although he's been a true man for a while. We're gonna throw a huge feast for him."

"Feast, you say? You got the right woman for the job," The former tavern barkeep turned sailor smiled. This was going to be fun.

0-0

"Say, Enrique, you're pretty handy with a blade," Aika noted, nibbling on a piece of meat. It was summer season in Mid Ocean, and so the sun wasn't scheduled to set for almost an hour, but many of Pirate Island's inhabitants had already sat down for dinner. Dyne had brought over Vyse and his whole crew as guests, and while Lawrence wasn't one for conversation, Belle more than made up for it, chattering everyone's ears off until finally in a desperate bid for survival Vyse's mother put enough food into her to make the young girl take a nap. Everyone else had been enjoying a leisurely meal ever since, although Polly and Vyse's mother had gone out back several times to discuss and prepare something.

"I was taught swordsmanship at the Royal Academy in Valua," He replied. "It's a military complex northwest of the capitol, where those of high breeding and station are given the best education available. They gave me wealths of knowledge, which, in retrospect, was probably not wise. I was soon keenly aware of the evil deeds Valua permitted around the entire world, and began to grow discontented. You see the end result here."

"Awesome," Vyse nodded. "We didn't go to a school, obviously- but Dad and the whole crew pitched in to give us enough learning. We learned how to write and read a few years ago, and a lot of practical stuff like sailing and fighting."

Dyne shrugged. "I always knew you'd be a leader one day, Vyse. You come from good blood, in my unbiased opinion. A leader always needs a lot of knowledge so he can make good decisions. Even that old bat Teodora knows that- no offense, Enrique."

"None taken," Enrique replied with a small frown. "I'm well aware of the universal resentment my beloved mother stirs up in the hearts of... well, everyone. Even most of the royal court can't stand her overbearing attitude." He blinked. "Hm... I never heard before, Fina, but where did you get your education? I'm sure the Silvites place an emphasis on knowledge."

"Of course," The timid girl replied. "The Elders taught me and Ramirez everything they knew. We learned things that no island dweller could even dream of... for example... did you know that there is a land under the light of the Blue Moon?"

"There's land under the Blue Moon?" David echoed, shaking his head. "Wait, that's impossible. The Dark Rift is only barely in the fringes of the Blue Moon's domain, and it's the edge of the world. That's why Blue stones are some of the rarest to find these days. Me and Gilder went to school in Nasrad, by the way. That's how I met that brigand."

"The edge... of the world?" Fina blinked. It was her turn to be startled.

"Yeah," Marco said. "The world's flat, right? That's the only way we could all be on it- I heard from some soldiers we're all just on some giant board with air on either side of our world. My only education was on the streets!"

"Oh, my," She giggled. "But... the world is round."

"... Say what?" Aika blinked. "Round? Fina, are you trying to say the Silvites think the world is round? Come on, that's just not very good science."

"It's true," Fina objected. "We're so high up we can see the whole world, and it is a spherical shape, like Cupil. If you were to sail in any straight line, you would eventually return to your point of origin. The reason you all think the world is flat is likely because there are practical boundaries on both sides of your countries- the Silverstone Reefs to your west, and this Dark Rift to the east."

"Lord DeLoco's first force was told by the Ixa'takans before they were attacked of some strange objects sighted on the other side of the great Silverstone Reefs that nudge the western border of their continent," Enrique said thoughtfully. "He was intrigued by this possibility, but dismissed it as some strange lore. Either way, we don't have the power to break through and find out."

"What? So there really is a land to the east of Nasr? Fina, you've just revolutionized all civilized knowledge," Dyne said, stunned. "Assuming what you're saying is the truth. It's a little hard to accept."

"The land is known as Yafutoma, and sits on chains of islands under the gentle domain of Blue, of wind and water." Fina recited from what history lessons she had been given in her younger years. "The people of Yafutoma can harness Blue Moonstones for fuel, and can survive pressures we only dream of visiting. They were even capable of going to Deep Sky's surface in the Old World, although their technology must have been set back since then."

"They can go to Deep Sky?" Pinata whistled. "Wait, if they can do that, they can also go higher than we believe possible, correct? If that is the case, then we must visit these people and learn how they build such modern marvels. Maybe they'll tell me how to get to the Moons!"

Fina giggled. "I think it might be more challenging than that, Pinata. However, we still need to go to Yafutoma and retrieve the Blue Moon Crystal. That should be our next objective, after we find a base and complete the _Delphinus_'s refits."

"What can you tell us about the people of Yafutoma?" Polly asked. "What kind of foods do they have over there? People with such plentiful access to water ought to be fine chefs."

"They eat sky and water fish," Fina replied. "And other varieties of food. They manipulate two small wooden sticks to pick up their foods, and their ships and soldiers are armed with plate male that looks like scales. Their Gigas is Bluheim, a flying machination that in Yafutoman lore is called the Blue Winds."

"Wait... they have scales and eat people with sticks?" Aika's imagination working in concert with her heavily overworked imagination had given her selective hearing. "What, are these Blue people monsters or something?"

"Aika, you're letting your mouth get ahead of your brain," Dyne chastised, and she fell quiet. "I've heard rumors of some people like that. Nothing solid, and a lot of crap flies through Blue Rogue grapevines. From what I hear, they're worse than Ixa'taka about cultural isolation, and are naturally suspicious of any foreigners. Maybe the Valuans have found them before. I wouldn't trust anyone if I thought they were all Valuan, that's for sure. No offense, Enrique."

"None taken," The prince replied.

"So, how are we going to get there?" Vyse asked. "Even if Arcadia is round, in practical terms where we can sail is largely a flat, uneven square. The Dark Rift and the Silverstone Reefs are both impassable. Those silver rocks are not normal stuff, not even the Moonstone Cannon could dent them, I bet. As for the Dark Rift... regular sky rifts are feared. Terror ain't the word for that enormous, deadly storm."

"Some time ago, during the Valua-Nasr War, our forces discovered a suitable location at the southern tip of Nasr's main continental mass and founded a supply station there. In time, it grew, and we were allowed to keep that small territory as part of the peace treaty when the war was finally ended in stalemate," Enrique told them. "It became a hub for sailors, and grew into a large city. Esperanza, which I'm told means 'hope' in Nasrian. If anyone would know how to pass the Dark Rift, I think it would be those people."

"Alright, we got a course now," Vyse nodded. "We stay here tomorrow, then the next day we head out in the morning. First we're going up to Crescent Isle, north of Nasr, and establishing our HQ in the abandoned island chains. The Valuans will never think we'd be crazy enough to camp not seventy leagues from their lands. After we're set up, we'll head due south, pass over Nasr and see what's going on, and get to Esperanza. Looks simple enough."

"Word is, Nasrad is being controlled by a puppet king propped up by the Valuans, who left a decent sized occupation force and Ramirez's Vice Captain, Baker, to command it's fleet. Fleet Admiral Karzhai's force is the main body of the Nasr Air Guard, and if it doesn't disintegrate from the inside when the news of Nasrad's hits it, then Baker's going to swing around, flank them, and take them out. Looks like Valua finally got their victory. Damn Valuans. No offense, Enrique."

"None taken. But... we face a problem, Vyse. The only way to reach frontier lands with an unfortified _Delphinus_ is through the South Dannel. That's the whole point of why the last war failed miserably. We'll need to hazard it, and run the blockade that Baker is going to set up."

"Hm... then we don't have any choice," Vyse nodded. "Ok. Nasr is a week from here. When we get to the South Dannel, we'll just blow past their ships. Maybe they'll let us past in fear of hurting you. And if not... well, we have stolen a battle cruiser here. The best one in the Armada, even half-done."

Vyse's mother peeked in. "Oh, good, you've decided. I'm sorry you all couldn't stay longer, but we understand. Enrique, maybe you should double up with Vyse in his room."

"Sure," The blonde teenager replied.

"Will you be able to get up without a servant to wake you?" Aika teased. "Maybe Macho Man's snoring over there will help you stay awake." Fina giggled and Vyse fitted the girls with the appropriate murderous glare.

"Hey, I always do things without my servants to help," Enrique said indignantly, and everyone laughed in good humor. "Urg... you air pirates and your disrespect. Maybe I should have been like my half-wit half-brother." He took his neat hair and flicked it across his face, just so he could daintily push it back, and said in his best girly voice, "Dispose of them, guards. Get them, you fools. Clean this filth from my beloved _Cygnus_." He looked over at Fina. "Once I capture you, mommy will be sure to favor me over that coward Enrique." Everyone howled with laughter.

"Not... very princely," Marco breathed heavily. "I think Vyse and us are having a bad influence on you, Enrique." He grinned, seeming proud to be able to talk with the prince on such even terms, which in their homeland he would never be permitted to do without risking execution.

Fina blinked. "Yes... I used to be much more shy, but seeing my friends be so bold and brash have taught me things. Aika taught me many things in Nasrad," She continued happily. Vyse and Aika made alarmed eye contact.

"Yeah, it was nothing," Aika said, loudly and nervously.

Finishing their dinner, Enrique, who was still not feeling quite fine yet, retired early and took a mattress on the floor, finding it a hard adjustment from his usual stately quarters aboard the _Delphinus_. The rest of the crew began to filter out, thanking Vyse's parents for the good meal. Vyse sighed and leaned back, but looked over at Aika. "Hey, Aika, let's go up to Lookout Isle and watch the sunset."

Aika smiled. "Sure. It would be just like good old times, huh? Hey, Fina, want to come with us?"

"Alright," The Silvite nodded, and Cupil chirped. The three teenagers made their way onto the walkways ringing the newly rebuilt island and climbed their way up the new ladder. It was a long climb, even for the physically fit Blue Rogues, and Fina found it a bit taxing before she reached the small rock.

"Hey, at least they didn't hit Lookout Island," Vyse said, sitting down on the sturdy old bench. "Probably too small of a target for the bucket head gunners. Valuans aren't known for their accuracy." He sighed, watching the sky grow heavy with the bloody red tones of the setting sun's glory. No other objects blotted the vast skies of Mid Ocean, which seemed a nostalgic sight for the new captain and his two friends.

The redhead stared up into the cloudy air. "After all we've been through... this place hasn't changed at all. It seems like a completely different world. We've seen more places than anyone on the island ever has, and done things that'll get us in history books already. It seemed like so long ago that we sat up here with Fina the first night we had rescued her from Alfonso's ship."

Fina nodded in agreement. "So much has happened already, and we still have three more Crystals to liberate before the world will be safe from Teodora and Galcian..."

"Three? I thought there were six in total, one for each moon," Vyse asked, looking over to her.

She said, "Yes, there are, but the Silver Crystal is obviously in the hands of the Elders, and is safe and secure. My quest, effectively, is halfway done." Standing up, she bowed low to both of them, to their surprise. "Thank you so much for helping me all this time. Without your assistance I would have been killed or forced to help the Valuans. You are my best friends in the entire world, and the greatest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life."

Vyse and Aika exchanged a look. The redhead smiled and said, "Fina, sit down. You've been a help to us, as well. You're our friend, and we'd never abandon you. We're all going to see this through to the end, one way or another."

"Damn right," He agreed. "If you're correct in your theories, Fina, then there's a fair chunk of the world nobody's explored before. This I have to see." He gave her the thumbs-up and smiled. "Count on us, just like always."

"Vyse," A voice called for them. He looked over and found David, climbing up the ladder. When he had reached the top he stopped to catch his breath and managed to say, "Hell of a climb..." Before taking the last unoccupied space on the bench. His brown hair was, as usual, covering most of his face, but he had shed his blood-red cloak and jacket for a more practical maroon tunic.

"What's up?" Aika asked, leaning over to look at Gilder's Vice Captain.

"Figured now's good as any time to come up and talk with you all," He replied. "While we were at Sailors' Island I gathered a bit of info about the Nasr situation. Apparently, Vice Admiral Baker's force is smaller than we thought. He's only got a dozen Valuan ships and a few captured Nasr ones, and about five thousand troopers occupying Nasrad's rubble."

"And?" Vyse encouraged him. "This is good news, right? Less trouble if we try to pass the South Dannel and get to Crescent Isle?"

"Yeah, but that's not all. Word is that Fleet Admiral Karzhai took his forces out of the straight as soon as news came in. He acted quick enough where the Valuan forces couldn't even hit him, and now he's got a bunch of troops ready for action. Rumors say he's planning to make a fight of it for their homeland.

Now, Karzhai's fleet is bigger, but Baker's got those Spectres. Powerful cruisers, each one can take down two of it's Nasr equivalents. If we can get over to Nasr quickly, we might be able to lend a hand to them. With the firepower of the _Delphinus_, the enemy would have no chance to keep Nasrad. This would benefit us, by not only making a powerful ally in Karzhai, but we'd also get a nearby, massive supply base for our headquarters."

Fina blinked. "Oh, my... there's going to be another war?"

"Apparently," Aika nodded. "I like that idea, though. Valua's gone unchallenged long enough, I think it's time we blew some of their ego away."

"Agreed," Vyse smirked. "As much as I like being home and seeing the guys again, the wanderlust is starting to gnaw at me already. I can't just sit still after we sailed half the world over. Send out the world, we're headed for Nasrad at sundown tomorrow."

0-0

"Son, can you come down into the dock with me for a moment?" For most of the morning, Vyse had been hard at work, helping with the remaining reconstruction jobs and generally making himself busy across Pirate Isle. His crew was preparing to leave again, stocking the ship with supplies and getting it ready to fly. He looked over to Dyne and nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Sure, Dad," He replied, jogging over to him. "Well, what's up?" The older man did not reply, turning and walking into the well-lit tunnel which led into the inside of the almost hollow floating island. He followed quickly.

He was about to pass into the upper walkways when a wall of sound hit him. "Surprise!" A hundred voices declared as one, and he indeed was rather surprised. Gathered in front of him was a large crowd, including his friends and crew, and the men and women of the Blue Storm. Aika ran forwards, hugging him and smiling.

"Wh-wha?" He blinked, stunned.

"Think we'd let you forget, huh?" The redhead asked, smirking and landing a peck on his cheek which made him redden. "Happy belated birthday, Captain." Fina bowed to him and Enrique offered him a royal salute. Small strings of confetti began to rain down into the air, and Cupil caught and ate some as they came around, despite Fina's best efforts to stop him.

Vyse shook his head. "All of this... is for me?" He looked down. "Guys, really, you shouldn't have bothered, it's not a big deal."

"_Not a big deal_?" Landis echoed from the crowd, shouldering through to the vanguard. "Listen to him. I miss the eight-year-old version of him that was so eager for his birthday he nearly wet himself." Everyone laughed. "Enjoy some time off, Vyse. That's why you're here, right?"

Dyne put a hand on his shoulder. "Son, you're seventeen years old, and already you're a notorious pirate of the skies. I couldn't be more proud if I tried."

"Dad..." The teenager faltered, looking away. "Really, I just..."

"We have food," Briggs interjected. Dead, direct, critical center hit. Vyse looked up with wide eyes at the wiry Vice Captain, who chuckled. "Lots of food. A feast, for everyone, but especially for you. Polly even helped." The matter was thus settled by Vyse's vice, the ingestion of dormant chemical energy, and he finally assented to having a celebration about himself. Those villagers who had taken part in the distraction above came down to join everyone else, and a massive table was put out on the lowest deck of the secret base. Moored to their left was the still forming wooden shape of the _Albatross II_, a fitting backdrop as Vyse began to assault the buffet with the others.

"Polly, me, and all the women were up most of the night making this enormous amount of fresh food," His mother said with a sigh, taking a seat. "It was worth it, though. I hope everyone enjoys it." The general concurrence from the participants was that they did, indeed, enjoy the excellent cooking. The cave echoed with the lively talk of the people, and festivities officially commenced.

"See? Even you, you noble, self-sacrificing hero, deserve a little worship, praise and food," Aika insisted, jabbing him with his spoon until he relented, laughing with a mouth full of food. Enrique was feeling much better on solid land, and although his eating method was extremely prim and conservative like Fina's, he still managed to whittle a sizable amount of food from the buffet on his own. Cupil just slid along the table, gobbling entire plates and making several different kinds of enemies rather quickly before he could be netted down. He morphed into a knife and got free, so Fina just gave him a Slipara spell and put his lights out for a few hours.

Marco smirked. "I helped with the balloons," He said, pointing to one in particular that was badly misspelled, but said: '_Happy Birthday Vyse_'. Well, Vyse assumed that's what it said, although it more closely resembled the ancient Silvite lettering on the Sailors' Guild Main Branch on Sailors' Island. _It's the thought that matters, after all_.

David chuckled. "Yep. Eat up, drink up, etc etc. After we're all good and stuffed, we can get moving." He looked around. "Lawrence is probably already waiting aboard the _Delphinus_... the man truly earns his moniker."

So it went for an undetermined length of time, and for a while, Vyse was able to forget the weight of the world that rested squarely upon his young shoulders. _As long as I don't end up in leaves, all's well._


	11. An Alliance

Chapter Eleven- An Alliance

Their departure had, understandably, been moved back to nearly noon of the next day. The sun was fully up in the bright and balmy Mid Ocean skies, and the _Delphinus_ was ready for departure. As usual, the enormous metal battle cruiser sat hovering besides the island passively, her sleek and modern profile jutting into the sky and casting a shadow over a part of the village. Vyse stood in the central courtyard of the island, taking one final look around as the crowd gathered to see off their prodigal son and his ragtag crew on their journey.

"Hey, Vyse." Rodgers' familiar voice called out to him, and he turned and smiled at his friend. The girl still wore her trademark black trench coat, and was only one of two female Blue Storm raiders on the entire island now that Aika planned to leave again. She flecked a lock of black hair out of her eyes and walked up to him.

"Hey," He replied. "How've you been? I haven't seen you much lately, you know, with all the hectic adventures and all that."

"We've all been working hard to rebuild," Rodgers said. "Captain didn't give us time to get sad about our loss, but instantly set us about to recovery. I was... um..." In an uncharacteristic display, she faltered, and looked to the grassy ground under her black boots.

"What's wrong?" He felt concern at seeing this rarely-revealed nervous side of the pirate girl.

"Do you need another swordarm? I'm not that much as a sailor but I can fight, as you know." She looked up again, into his eyes, and her usual quiet determination was back.

Vyse didn't need even a moment to decide. "Of course! I'd love to have your combat skills. Moons know there's enough Valuan asses that need a sound kick. You can come aboard the ship as a 'Marine'. Heh."_ A cool-sounding name seems only natural._

She grinned. "Glad to hear it." Rodgers was one of the several teenage Blue Storm pirates that Dyne had been developing, an orphan like Aika who showed an unusual aptitude with Silver magics. She, along with Aika and another pirate, had been on the initial boarding parties that had raided the _Cygnus_ at the outset of their adventures.

"Hold up. You think I'm going to let you, Aika, and Vyse go without tagging along? No chance." Luke the Raider appeared on the walkway above them, leaping down and landing perfectly. He resembled Vyse but for his longer, pony tailed hair and his all red attire. He smirked. "Guess you have two Marines now, your royal Captiousness."

"I'll count myself lucky," Vyse said. "C'mon. Everyone's waiting." Making their way over to the _Delphinus_, the crew was indeed waiting amongst the crowd near the large iron boarding ramp which would take them aboard the waiting flagship.

Dyne looked over the three teenagers and easily guessed what their intent was. "I see there's no stopping the hemorrhaging of my best people. At least you'll all still be together, fighting for what you believe in." He gave a fatherly smile and Luke glowed under the praise, while Rodgers turned just a little bit pink. "Son... thanks for stopping by. I know you're pretty sick of praise by now, so I'll keep it brief. You're going to go fight Valua to free Nasr, word says. With this fine ship you can do it. Fight hard, and never give up." Vyse nodded.

Martha approached him with teary eyes. "Come back again, this was much too short," She entreated him. "I wanted to see you some more... but I suppose more pressing events are happening. Good bye, until the next time we meet, Vyse." She hugged him and he hugged back.

"Don't worry about us, mom," Vyse said. "We're going to be just fine. After I save the world I'll come back and autograph your bonnet, alright?" He smirked and she managed a teary smile, the teenager walking past the crowd and up with his friends. "Alright. Well, I hate prolonged goodbyes. Everyone on the boat! Time to keep fighting Valua again!"

"Aye aye," They replied as one, and turned, beginning the trek across the long ramp up to the main deck of the Valuan ship.

"... Vyse?" The small voice of Lyndsey got his attention, and he turned around, to find her and two other kids standing besides the purple Huskra named Pow. She smiled shyly up at him. "Good luck. We... we wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead." Vyse put his hands on his hips and gave her an encouraging look.

"We want you to take Pow along," The slightly older of the two boys said. The Huskra barked several loud times, as if voicing his assent. "So that, wherever you go, you'll remember us. And if things ever get sad, Pow can be there for you."

The teenager blinked. "... take Pow along, huh? Are you all sure? I know everyone around here loves the little guy."

"We're sure," Lyndsey confirmed. "We talked it over. Vyse... will you come back again?"

"Of course," Vyse said. "What, I'd never forget about my favorite place in the whole wide world, and the coolest kids ever, huh? I'll bring back Pow safe and sound, and we'll all be back before you can notice we're gone." He motioned to the canine, which bounded gleefully over and began to follow Vyse. "Goodbye."

"Bye," The three kids said at once, and the cheers from the pirates around them began. The propellers mounted at the back of the ship switched from hovering station-keeping into active formation, the enormous fan blades whipping around the air and gaining more power as the reactor fired up and Lawrence prepared the ship to detach. Blue Storm pirates cut the anchors and lines securing the _Delphinus_ to land even as Vyse sprinted up the retracting boarding ramp.

He stood out on the deck, waving back at the mass of people while Pow bounded off into the insides of the large metal ship to begin exploring his new home. Drifting apart from Pirate Island, Enrique's royal airship turned it's long and curved hull back, and the prow now pointed into the clear blue sky.

"Time to leave the nest again..." Stepping forward onto the deck, he planted one of his boots onto the railing and leaned forward, drawing his pirate cutlass from it's sheath. "_Delphinus_, full speed ahead! Set course for Nasr!" Lawrence could hear his command, because he gunned the throttle, and Vyse felt the ship rumble under him with nearly unchecked energy. Slipping forward into the air, it quickly distanced itself from the small island and headed towards the north.

"We're here, Captain Vyse," The cheerful female voice proclaimed, and Vyse looked over from the control panels of the bridge. Belle and her gunnery team entered from the doorway, closing the gold bulkhead behind them and bounding up to him.

Willing his eyes to focus above her neckline, he put on a smile. "Hey, Belle. Clara told me you all were gunners... how good are you?"

"We're still learning," The girl replied. "But! We know the basics, and we're all real quick learners! We can handle the work, sir!"

"No doubt you can. However, aside from the Moonstone Cannon, we haven't actually tested this ship's arms." He chuckled. "I think it's time we see how much damage this hunk of steel can do, huh? You up for it?"

"Yes, sir!" All three replied, jumping into the air. Vyse indulged in a little staring, then sent them down to Fire Control, a room embedded deep within the ship's core and where all the main and secondary guns were used from. They made their way down into the center, and reported in via the talking tube to the Bridge. "All the controls are pretty simple."

"The ship is equipped with telescopic sights and computer interfaces," David recited. "Look to the glowing panels, and type in the password: 'Justice'." They did so, gasping in amazement as the large screens lit up with life-accurate imagery from cameras mounted on the hull, showing them a view of the blue sky. "Alright, that should do it. We're getting some feeds up here, too. Load your cannons."

Automated components ground and rolled through the batteries of the ship, shoving fresh and deadly Valuan shells into the barrels of the main and secondary cannons. The torpedo launcher was also fitted with explosive ammunition, and within a very short time they were without a doubt fully loaded.

Mid Ocean had billions of unexplored, lifeless chains of floating islands, and Vyse picked one at random from the Moonstone Sonar display next to the helm controls. "Lawrence, slow the ship and point us at that rock formation. Belle, get ready. Can you see the target?"

"We have it," She replied. "All systems ready to rock! Man, this is going to be so cool."

"Wait, first let's give people a fair warning," Vyse ordered, remembering the kickback from the ship's ultimate weapon when they initially stole it from the Grand Fortress canal. He pulled a lever, and a klaxon began to sound across the ship in a specific order. Yellow lights flashed, bathing the occupants in the electrical hues of Yellow Magic.

Enrique looked up from his position- bent over the rail out on the main deck of the ship. He frowned and groaned. "Oh, no. This isn't going to be good for me... uuugh..."

He counted off to ten, and then said, "Torpedo launchers, fire!" Four hatches on the top of the ship's prow blew aside, belching fire and sending four advanced explosives soaring up into the clouds. The ship shook, but not enough to upset anyone, even Enrique. Everyone watched the skies for the Valuan torpedoes, and moments later they came plummeting back down through the air, their wide fiery contrails like moonstone meteorites.

All four impacted on a wide teardrop rock formation, and exploded nearly at the same instant. The entire island was engulfed in fire, and when the light cleared a massive chunk of the solid stone was vaporized, with a curtain of smoke and steam wafting upwards. Vyse let out a whoop and grinned. "Hey, someone get Aika up here. She'd love this shit. Secondary cannons, get ready!"

It was time for the cannons to make their showing. The _Delphinus_' secondary cannons contained long magnetic coils that accelerated the shells to speeds well over those achieved by bigger, more traditional gunpowder or moondust cannons. Mounted three to one of the large block turrets, they stood to mount at least as much power as the torpedo volley. Swinging with the hum and whine of moving mechanical parts, they quickly all honed in on the reduced island.

"Here goes," Belle said, pulling two levers at once. "Forward batteries firing!" The ship thundered and rumbled as the power of it's guns was loosed. Flashes of light spat small twirling bits of metal that hit the island, boring deep into it with the shells' armor-piercing tip and vast acceleration and making large craters. With each shot the turrets recoiled from the force, absorbing most of it to lessen the difficulty on it's crew.

Small splinters and fragments of stone began to fall from the sky like dust as spiderweb cracks appeared in the scorched surface of their unfortunate target. "Alright," Vyse chuckled. "Time for the main guns."

"These are Valuan prototypes," David noted. "They use a small forge to heat air and store it as molten gas in tanks, and then use that air to push the shell outwards at the same time the gunpowder explodes from the launcher. The practical effect is that these explosive shells have extra firepower than conventional tech. Man, this ship really is top of the line."

"Brace yourselves," The girls cheerily advised the bridge, setting off the main guns. The deck shivered under the titanic force of their own cannons, and they watched the fireballs streak through their lethal arc over to the nearly obliterated island. Landing, each one set off a firestorm that enveloped the abandoned island.

Staring intently, they watched the entire rock face melt or shatter, and within moments the only remainder of their target was several small bits of white-hot rock floating uselessly in the air, each about the size of a regular ship. Vyse blinked, zooming in on the destroyed island and whistling. "Wow... a broadside from us is like having one of those Grand Fortress mega-cannons aboard. Combine this with the Moonstone Cannon..."

"And this is the most powerful ship in the world," Lawrence acknowledged, staring at the smoldering rock chunks. Even he was slightly moved by the sheer force displayed by the ship's still-incomplete weaponry.

With a whistle, he turned back to see Aika being escorted by Marco up to the bridge. Apparently she had arrived in time to see the destruction. "Amazing," She remarked. The street urchin beside her could only nod in pure shock. He had seen Imperial ships before, but nothing that was ever like this.

"Well, I think we've confirmed it," Vyse said, clapping his hands once. "Set course for Nasrad again, and resume full rudder."

0-0

"Admiral, the scout teams are reporting in. The enemy has rebuilt the cannon emplacements on the city walls, and put fresh artillery and gun crews in there. Baker's entire force is sitting at anchor in the harbor, but their crews are on readiness alert. That sly bastard must feel we're going to attack him soon." As his Vice Admiral made his report, Karzhai reclined on the rich couch and put his boots up on the fine wooden table in his personal ready room aboard his flagship, the _Rabia Desierto_.

Karzhai was now the highest-ranking official in the defeated Nasr Kingdom, the Nasultan and most of the royal ministers and nobles being killed in the attack or brought to Valua and publicly executed. Despite this, he refused the crown and continued with his commission, rallying patriotic Nasrians to revolt against the puppet regime of the Nasr Confederation, and Vice Admiral Baker's army which occupied Nasrad.

The man had the bronzed skin of the desert people, with keen ocean-blue eyes and jet-black hair tied back in a short ponytail and flecked with very minor streaks of gray. Looking up, he nodded. "Very well... do you think our strike teams can successfully silence that harbor artillery? Our fleet will be unable to return the enemy's fire, so unless we can stop the source our entire attack is doomed."

"The men can do it, sir," The subordinate replied. "Everyone's ready. Each day the Valuans infest the sacred sands of our kingdom brings out more of the Red Moon in the hearts of all men. We've assembled all our forces. The decision is yours, now."

"You've always known my choice," Karzhai replied. "Better to die fighting then cower against these villains. However, we must learn from what put us in this desperate gambit- our hubris let the enemy take us completely off-balance. Such failures won't happen again, and I intend to show the Valuans their failings. We're going to end this war now, before it becomes a quagmire like the last."

A junior officer ran into the room. "Sir! Sir! The _Atacante_ reports that a ship is approaching the fleet from the southwest. The ship looks Valuan, but isn't any type we've ever seen before."

"More Valuans?" The Admiral rose to his feet. "To the bridge. Tell Captain Isem to send us the profile right away, and get the crew to general stations. This might be more of Baker's infamous trickery." The two men ran off to obey his orders, and he started towards the ship's command center as well, walking calmly.

His infamous calm could only be perturbed by a very small number of things, like, say, the flagship of Valua's Prince Enrique flying right for them unescorted and at cruising speed. He was one of the few to know what the _Delphinus_ looked like, having had access to Nasultan-level intelligence reports by the many sympathizers within the Valuan armed forces. When he saw the print-out on a roll of parchment of the distant but unmistakable form of that royal cruiser, he did a literal double-take and looked up out the viewport into open sky.

"Is there something wrong, Admiral?" One of the pilots said, looking back to find his surprisingly bewildered leader still staring at the black dot that was the approaching ship.

"I'm fine," He replied. "Just a little curious." _More than a little. I heard Vyse the Valiant stole the ship and kidnapped the young prince. If so, that Valuan battleship might not be here for a fight... this changes a few of my plans._ Turning, he began to make his way down to the hangar, where an empty space was being cleared at once.

Onboard the ship, the entire crew was gathered on the large bridge, watching the impressive Nasr fleet. Over forty battleships floated in professional formations in the sky, their large rust-red armored hulls sporting thousands of combined cannons, stocked with professional sailors. Vyse blinked, looking over to Aika, who was beside him. "Well, they're not shooting at us yet, so I assume that's an invitation. David?"

"That one, dead center," The second officer replied, pointing to the middle of the squadron, where a larger than average ship hovered passively. "Karzhai's flag is on that one. I'll go with you, Vyse. The skiffs can hold three, so choose who else you'd like to take along."

"I'll take Aika," He replied with a smile. "Fina, you should stay here and tend to his Royalness..." Eyes went over to the Prince, who looked positively horrible. Large black circles were under his half-lidded eyes as he hunched over, his entire frame wracked with illness and fatigue. He looked like a shadow of his own shadow. The Silvite had been attending him with every Silver magic known to humanity, but nothing seemed to cure that pervasive air sickness.

"Ugh... good luck," Enrique said to Vyse, bowing slightly. "Tell the Admiral I regret... regret not being able to meet him this time. I... I'm down with the flu. _The Flu_," He emphasized to a mischievous looking Aika, embarrassed about his wretched condition.

"The flu," She echoed in confirmation, winking at him and giggling. "Well, let's get going. I want to meet this guy who's going to save his country. Sounds cool."

Luke nodded. "Bring me back a souvenir. And ask him when we get to kick some Valuan ass."

They set out to the lifeboat hangar, taking out one of the many metal skiffs and guiding the small boat out into the sky. Passing along the large form of the _Delphinus_, they entered the formation, heading for the ship that David had pointed out. One of the hangars of the ship was open, and Vyse expertly took the lifeboat in for a controlled landing.

The metal skiff easily took the vacant iron rails of an old Nasr wooden lifeboat, the designs being quite similar in many ways. Locking down the controls and turning off the single engine, he turned and leapt out of the boat.

Karzhai was waiting for him on the deck, flanked by officers but with no troopers in sight. He stepped forward and looked over the three pirates before speaking up in a clear Valuan dialect. "Welcome aboard the _Rabia Desierto_, head of Nasr's freedom fighters. Vyse Dyne, I presume?"

"Admiral," Vyse said, putting out his hand, which the elderly man shook. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard tales of your actions against Valua in the past."

"The same could be said of you," Karzhai retorted with a chuckle. "And who is this? David LeCroix, if my memory serves, of the _Claudia_? Do you still work for Gilder the Unfettered or have you moved on to join this young man's crew?"

"A little of both, sir," David replied.

"I'm Aika, Vyse's Vice Captain," The redhead chirped, leaping out of the boat last. "Tongue twister, huh? Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you. Cap'n Dyne speaks highly of you whenever we hear something new about how you're kicking Valuan cans up and down the skies."

"We're here to offer our services to Nasr," Vyse said, interjecting on her. "We don't exactly love the Empress, either. That's why we took her son and her best ship and busted that joint. We want to go with you on the attack to take back Nasrad." He gave him the thumbs-up sign. "Even Baker's Spectres are no match for the original and mold-breaking design. With our combined power we can crush the Valuan army here."

"All allies are welcomed in our _jihad_," Karzhai replied. "You have the eternal thanks of the Kingdom for this, and all your other attacks on the Valuan Empire. You Blue Rogues are trouble. Just the right kind of trouble we need to save Nasr."

"It's kind of our thing, trouble, and freedom," David noted. "So, when is the attack going to take place?"

"Dawn," The Fleet Admiral said simply. "We'll move out at sunset today and position ourselves to hug the Great Barrier Reefs twenty leagues away from the South Dannel Straight. Come dawn we charge in with all of our strength and attack. We beat back the enemy defenses, and begin our assault on the harbor proper, and start landing our transports. We have more than twice as many soldiers ready to liberate our city as the enemy does to enslave it."

"All of this is happening so quickly," Aika remarked with a frown. "It was only a few weeks ago that Ramirez conquered the continent."

"The Nasr people wish a quick end to this deadlock," Karzhai replied. "After seven years of bloody nothingness, we want quick and decisive. We'll get quick and decisive on the morrow. The stakes of our liberty are on the line, and with you fighting by our side we must take the day." He balled his fist. "I will coordinate my ships with your own. Do you have radio?"

"Yes," David replied. "Our frequency is... 34.63 _hertzios_, by Nasr metric. We can communicate whenever over that open channel." He looked around. "Well... no offense, but I'd rather be getting back to my ship now. We both have lots of work to do to prepare for the battle. We can talk more once this is decided."

Karzhai nodded. "Then let the Red Moon protect us both in the coming fight. Good luck, and thank you again for your support. I feel it will be key." He bowed to them and watched them take off again, turning around to one of his aides. "Alright, let's get ready to move out. Put the _Delphinus_ in the center. Their speed and firepower make them a good tip for the spear."

Vyse watched the _Rabia Desierto_ began to shrink as they approached their mothership again. The _Delphinus_ Putting the lifeboat to rest with it's brethren in the hangar, they rushed up passages and stairwells to the bridge, where their crew eagerly awaited their return.

"Well?" Rodgers asked, looking to Vyse for news.

"Get some good rest tonight, everyone," The teenager ordered, giving them all one of his supremely confident smirks. "Tomorrow at sunrise we're going to war." This caused the expected sensation throughout the gathering of people. Everyone attempted to speak up at once.

Lawrence's voice was first heard. "I'll stay on post a while longer and follow the Nasr fleet until they anchor at the reefs, then shut it down for the night."

"Good idea," David nodded. "Alright. We'll all need some killer luck come tomorrow, and I'm not speaking figuratively. I just hope we make it through this." He sighed, looking up into the sky dotted with Nasr warships.

Before anyone could say anything else, Vyse had left the bridge, and the gathered crew began to disperse to their various jobs and duties. Belle and the girls went down to take a full inventory of all the explosive shells, making sure not to drop any this time, while David stayed with Lawrence on the Bridge to help navigate, Luke and Rodgers took a walk on the deck, where Marco and Pinata had begun swabbing and Enrique was busy hurling up his light lunch, Polly was cooking diner in the galley, and Pow was busy somewhere marking coolant pipes as his territory.

Fina reached the final step, emerging into the long hallway with sealed doors on either side that was D Deck, where crew quarters were all located. By now David and Marco had put up signs identifying everyone's rooms, and their memories served well enough if the slightly misspelled script of the urchin failed.

Aika was at the end of the hall, looking out the flawless glass window that afforded a view of Karzhai's fleet, which was shifting it's formation and already preparing to move out to their waiting point on the reefs. In a meditative thought with her arms crossed, she didn't notice Fina come up behind her, and only felt her gentle arms encircle her in a hug. "Hey," She said absently.

"Aika," She said, slightly flushing red from her own bravery. "Are you thinking about the battle that's going to happen?"

"Yeah," The redhead replied. "I mean, by now, I shouldn't be worried at all. We've already been through so many fights, and beaten everything that's gotten in our way... we've been incredibly fortunate."

"Yet despite all of that..." The Silvite ventured, resting her head against the warm shoulder of the other girl, "You're still nervous, right?"

"I should be brave," She admitted. "Even if I feel this way I have to keep up my tough impression to give everyone some confidence. Vyse does it, more than me. Even when he's given up hope, he still smiles and grits his teeth and sets his shoulder to the wheel. He puts up the overconfident appearance because he cares about us."

"How could I not care?" Vyse's voice made both of them look back- Vyse was leaning against the frame of the ajar door to his room. He smiled slightly and continued, "After all, you're both the most beautiful, strongest people I've met in my life." He walked up to his two friends. "Who wouldn't be nervous? This is war we're talking about. But I know we'll get through this alright. We have to. I'll never let anything happen to either of you while I'm still alive." He pulled them both into a warm hug. "Now go sleep. And not with each other. You're going to need that energy for the Valuans... actually, don't use that energy on Valuans. Your hybrids would be horrid... what? Did I say something- _OW_!"

"Asshole," Aika growled.

Fina glared. "Sometimes you're not a very nice person, Vyse. Down, Cupil." Cupil ceased chewing on the teen's mop of brown hair. Vyse frowned sadly. _At least they've still got the fire in their bellies. Tomorrow, that clown Baker better watch himself. The Blue Rogues are coming to kick him back to Valua._


	12. The Battle of Nasrad

Chapter Twelve- The Battle of Nasrad

The morning sun vanquished the frigid night, rising to take it's natural station beside the Red Moon that held permanent dominion of Nasr. The Barrier Reef's massive rocks acted as a natural harbor for the allied fleet, which was anchored onto the perpetually floating boulders. The _Rabia Desierto_ was at the front of the formation, alongside the _Delphinus_. As dawn washed over them, cries filled the air and the engines of all the ships roared to life.

Lawrence finished the engine's checklist and experimentally spun the wheel, while David armed all of the ship's numerous weapon systems and Pinata joined Vyse in looking out the enormous windows of the bridge. Aika and Fina were at their usual positions to the side-consoles, monitoring operations and the radio frequencies. Despite the hour, they were all wide-awake from adrenaline and anxiety.

_"This is Squadron leader to all units," _The radio crackled open in Nasrian, which Fina translated for them, _"Prepare to move out as quickly as possible. To jihad, brethren! Today we claim our freedom."_ Answering cheers and acknowledgments filled the line.

Casting off their lines connecting them to the enormous reef, the flagship began to rise higher into the air, pressing forward as it's engines pushed then through the thawing sky. The other Nasrian ships, _Grenadier_-class battle frigates and _Salazar_-class gunboats, followed this example. Enrique, on the deck as usual, vacantly felt the wind press against him as the _Delphinus_ accelerated, passing the moving ships and matching their speed. The rocks to one side began to slide down out of the sight, and they were underway for their target.

Luke and Rodgers awaited their orders in the lifeboat dock, having readied two of the skiffs for departure. They, along with Lawrence, Vyse, Aika and Fina were going to join the Nasr strike teams in their attack on the enemy's wall artillery. The newest members of his crew, both of them were admittedly nervous about the coming fight.

"This'll be easy," Luke spoke up, although he wasn't sure weather it was more for himself or for his friend beside him. "We boarded a Valuan flagship before. Doing this will be a piece of cake, right?"

"Right," Rodgers agreed quietly, twirling her silver moonstone daggers on her finger and feeling the balance shift as the ship's course adjusted slightly. "We should be engaging the enemy's defenses in the channel any moment. I guess there's nothing for us to do, besides watch." Stepping out, she walked down the hallway and to a window, where she saw the huge cliff coastlines of Nasr appear on the horizon. Luke joined her, intently peering for any sign of the enemy.

Leading the charge aboard his ship, Vyse squinted, magnifying with his skyglass the distant South Dannel Straight. At the mouth of the steep pass, two captured Nasr gunboats floated, more sentries than heavy defenses. As they caught sight of the approaching force, both of the airships withdraw back out of sight into the canal.

"They know we're coming," David said into the radio. "Stay sharp, get through the narrow channel at full speed. Don't stop to fire until you emerge into the harbor." He looked down into the talking-tubes. "Belle, are you ready?"

"Everything's good to go," The bouncy young gunner replied, although even her jovial tone was flecked with bits of worry and apprehension.

Turning and emerging into the South Dannel, the _Delphinus_ and the _Rabia Desierto_ found themselves facing all seventeen Spectre-glass cruisers along with an additional five Nasrian Grenadiers for support. A second later, their view exploded with the light from the enemy's cannons as every single one of Baker's ships began to fire their guns in unison, unleashing a hundred deadly shells that streaked in for them quicker than the eye could track.

"Evasive action," Vyse ordered, but Lawrence had already yanked the control sideways. The metal ship shivered and swung around, dodging many of the explosives. Two enemy shells hit, melting bits of the prow armor off but not managing any penetration yet. Karzhai's flagship seemed a little more nimble, and also avoided most of the volley. "Return fire, Belle! Secondary cannons!"

The turrets spun around and took aim, firing. The armor-piercing secondary shots whistled past by the dozens, while the Nasrian flagship spun around and delivered a battery from their own regular guns. Trails of flame and curtains of smoke filled the beleaguered skies within moments.

One of the Valuan Grenadiers caught fire from two lucky and direct hits to it's starboard side, shaking with the force of impact as it belched flame. Despite this, the ship's many guns continued to speak out, adding to the enormous volume of cannon fire. Another shot hit the _Delphinus_, snapping off one of the side maneuvering wings and shoving the ship sideways, almost dashing it against the cliff face.

_"All ships, open fire!"_ Despite their original plans, this development forced the Nasrians to start the fight firing into the canal, which would actually prove to their advantage since the defending Valuans were boxed in by those enormous stone walls of the straight. _"If they want a scrap for the door, we'll bust it wide open!"_ The Nasr fleet behind them turned to their sides, presenting their massive black cannons in deadly rows like the bared teeth of a predator. Lawrence, realizing their position was about to become a crossfire, spun them around and sent them soaring back for their own fleet.

It rained fire around them, the air full of sparks, flashes and explosions from a thousand sources all at once. The noise, even in the insulated bridge, was terrific and mighty, shaking the ship as surely as each enemy near-miss. Two of their own ships had already taken damage, and one of them was about to fall out of the sky, but the Spectres only had minor dents from the poorly aimed first Nasr volley.

"Belle, fire the torpedoes now!" Getting the same idea, all of the Nasr ships joined the Delphinus in sending the small explosive charges skyrocketing, placing a hundred twinkling stars into the early morning sky. The Valuans responded likewise moments later, and both fleets began to change positions to avoid the plunging bombs.

Vyse glared- the enemy had an advantage in moving combat. The Spectres, like the _Delphinus_, had moving turret-cannons, while the conventional ships of the allied fleet had fixed cannons like the _Little Jack_ did. While the Grenadiers tried to set up for another broadside while dodging the streaks of flame that appeared all around them, the Spectres pounded them while shifting around.

"Lawrence, get us into position for a Moonstone Cannon shot." Even as he said this, a shot penetrated aft of the ship, and an explosion roared. Pieces of shattered, superheated metal fell away from the ship, exposing a flaming hole in the side that trailed whistling smoke.

"I'll try," He replied, and spun the wheel again. Turning sharply, the royal flagship was now soaring directly for the Spectres at their maximum velocity. Enemy fire bloomed around them, but the Nasr fleet held their fire for several seconds in fear of striking the pirates' rear armor.

"Charging now," David said, pulling the lever and watching the front of the ship open up to admit the barrel of their super weapon. Purple light began to accumulate from across the ship in a set of glowing rings at it's head, and the power continued to increase every moment until all the gages on David's control panel showed they were in the red. "Everything's ready to go, Vyse! Lawrence, line us up with one of those sons of Huskras!" Using the front fin like the crosshairs of a gun, the pilot aligned the entire ship with one of the growing black figures.

'Moonstone Cannon," Vyse said, seizing the firing lever and shoving it down into it's metal holder with a solid metallic clang, "Fire!" Everyone onboard braced themselves, and the stored up power in their prow discharged in a single focused beam. The beam cut through the air at the speed of light, cleanly gutting the enemy ship and going out the other side unabated, vaporizing entire decks of the interior of the Spectre along with most of it's front armor.

In a flash, a dozen explosions bloomed all around the armored airship, and it shook and shivered, coming apart at the same time that it's electrical motors were overheating and it's ammo cases were chain-reacting. Ravaged by the lick of the hungering flames and without the power to keep itself afloat, the twisted metal wreckage was quickly dragged by the unstoppable hand of gravity, trailing an enormous billowing cloud of smoke even as it vanished under the bottom layers.

Vyse grinned as he watched the power of his ship. "Alright. Keep on the attack. Belle, broadside fire! Cut through their formation in the hole that ship left when we gutted it." Lawrence complied with the order, and the valiant Blue Rogue flagship dove forward with all of it's might. Taking it's example, the Nasr fleet turned back and began to advance as well.

With their line of battle broken and porous, the well-ordered Valuan formation began to come apart, with many of it's ships sustaining severe hits from the powerful guns of their enemy. Beginning to pull back and regroup, they faced withering barrages of torpedoes laid in their paths that further damaged the enemy. "Four enemy ships have been destroyed. Another three are severely damaged," The radio reported. "We have lost but two ships, and many of the rest have only moderate hits. We have the advantage!"

"Hit their backsides," Vyse recommended. "Turn for a broadside." He witnessed the power of the enormous frigates as they turned around and opened fire again. Even though the Spectres were faster and better armored, nothing could match a Nasr fleet for it's unbridled firepower. The volley sank another one of the retreating Valuan cruisers as a lucky cannonball destroyed their propellers.

"We've broken their defense of the Straight, now continue the attack! Transports, move up to the left with second squad! First squad, blanket those cruisers and try to draw the attention of the harbor guns!"

"Moving in with second squad," Vyse replied, watching as they joined six gunboats escorting five rectangular floating boxes, each one containing a hundred battle-ready Nasr troopers. Scores of smaller landing craft swarmed around them. The main body of the fleet pressed right forward, emerging into the harbor with guns blazing.

The Valuans had reformed, and returned fire, going blow-for-blow with the rebel forces directly above the skies of the devastated metropolis. Desperation seemed to make them more effective, and Baker ordered a charge of his own. The Spectres' superior speed allowed them to literally encircle the larger number of Grenadier frigates and begin to rain fire upon them, but predicting their paths was easy and the return shots were no less violent upon the new cruisers.

Circling in a wide arc to the left, the smaller second group turned at an angle, to pass the battling fleet. They instantly came under fire, the powerful harbor guns lobbing immense shells for them. The _Delphinus_ avoided any hits whatsoever, but one of the gunboats was struck by a lucky artillery crew. Crumpling up from the incalculable force of the massive object hitting it's nose, the small warship was almost totally vaporized a moment later when the shell exploded.

"As if we don't have enough problems..." David sighed. "Two Spectres are coming up from the docks, headed right on an intercept course... Vyse! Those ships will rip apart the transports in seconds! What do you want to do?"

"Move ahead of second squadron," The teenager ordered, gripping the metal console before him to steady himself as his boat rocked and buffeted. "We're going to engage both of them and damage them enough force them to withdraw." _We have to be quick, or that artillery is going to slice through the transports too..._ "Fire Torpedoes and secondaries now, hold mains in reserve, full throttle!" Another round of armor-piercing shells rippled forth even as the torpedoes burst up into the open air. Hitting the front armor of the Spectres, they carved large spiderweb fractures into the prow armor and in some cases penetrated, but did little structural damage.

The Spectres answered back with their main cannons, a withering barrage that was surprisingly accurate. A shell exploded directly below the bridge, carving into a vacant storage room and burning up the contents within while at the same time throwing everyone aboard to the floor. Two hit the sides of the nose, ripping into that armor and super heating the frame of the battleship.

Despite this, the _Delphinus_ would not be stopped, continuing on. They drew ever-closer to the two cruisers, and Vyse waited, counting to five. "Now! Main cannons, open fire!" At such a close range there was no way to miss their targets. Twelve explosions devastated one of the enemies, ripping apart it's front side and demolishing every one of it's deck guns. Shaking and wobbling badly as it spun around, the ship began to helplessly sink to the clouds.

The torpedoes arrived a moment later. Three of them plunged into the vulnerable top of the lone Valuan cruiser, one hitting the bridge. Now without anyone to command it, the burning hulk began to float adrift, it's engines soon beginning to fail. Lifeboats launched out from the Spectre in every direction, but unlike Ramirez, Vyse ordered his guns to spare the escaping enemy crew. _I won't stoop to their level- I'll rise above it._

The artillery, which had stopped for a few moments, started up again with a vengeance, obliterating one of the smaller Nasr boarding skiffs and beginning to scatter the oncoming second squadron. The only thing for it was to press on, erratically advancing and praying desperately that the formidable weapons wouldn't strike any more of their ships.

"Now's the time," Vyse said, nodding to Aika, Fina, and Lawrence. "Follow me. Marco, Pinata, David, you three have the con. Get the _Delphinus_ into the main fight and help the fleet. We're going to take out those guns, old school style." He unsheathed his cutlasses as he ran down the hallway, his companions also drawing their weapons and following closely behind.

They were almost over the city. The transports all aimed for the huge docks district, touching down and opening to let loose the flood of soldiers. Charging into the devastated platforms and hangars, they flooded up the huge steps and towards the city, past abandoned ships and destroyed warehouses.

Valuans emerged from the walls, sniping down at them and picking off groups of Nasrians. Some Nasrians charged on for the access ramps leading up onto the city walls, while others dropped to one knee and returned fire with their red moonstone carbines. The firefight was a furious battle for dominance, and the streets ran with blood as reinforcements came from both sides to begin the battle in earnest on land.

Reaching the hangar, Vyse said nothing, leaping into one of the skiffs and turning. Aika and Fina joined him, Aika starting up the metal engine. Lawrence opened the doors to the hangar via remote panel on the wall and then joined Luke and Rodgers. The teenager looked over at the open sky as harsh winds flooded in, roaring at them and whipping about savagely. "Everyone, good luck! Once you take out your target move on, and we'll meet up in the docks when everything's done!"

With that said, the rails onto which the lifeboats were mounted began to accumulate a small magnetic charge. Reacting to this, magnets in the hull of the craft pushed away, causing the boats to float slightly. The propellers in the back started up and they flew out, reaching the open sky above the city, which stretched out in all directions as a ruined and blackened skyline. In the distance the fleets dueled, and the walls around the city flashed each time their massive guns spoke out.

Descending, Lawrence brought their skiff away from Vyse's, heading straight for the nearest segment of wall. They received no fire, as the bigger guns couldn't track up to them, fortunately enough. However, when they drew closer enough flecks of lightning streaked to either side, enemy yellow guns and magics attempting to stop them. The armored hull of the lifeboat deflected any lucky hits, however, and the anti-aircraft fire was ineffective.

Vyse squinted against the deafening winds, watching the wall draw closer and bringing in the skiff like a glider. "No problems," He said with a big grin to the girls, who nodded tersely. He paused as the boat began to rumble and shake, and looked over to see their engine was gone. "What the hell?!" A lucky enemy small-arms shot had clipped off thin connector rods between the engine and the hull, snapping the device off and sending it flying into the air, and leaving them with no engine. "Oh, you have to be kidding me..."

They began to veer to the left, with no way to correct their course or even slow their suicidal speed, coming up on a block of buildings. "Brace for impact!" He huddled down in the center of the skiff with the girls, waiting for the inevitable crash.

Lawrence's landing was flawless, crushing a group of Valuans under the boat as it skidded to a halt. Within seconds the three air pirates had leapt out, blades drawn. Troopers encircled them, cocking their rifles. A Marine Sergeant stepped forward. "Fools," He rumbled. "You dare to attack a Valuan-held city?"

"Yes," Rodgers replied. "We're going to be kicking all of your asses and liberating the people now, if it's not too much trouble. Or especially if it is."

"You and what army?" The officer demanded with a chuckle, leveling his crackling electrical lance and preparing to crush them. Explosions behind him caught everyone's attention, and looked over to see Nasr soldiers in their brown uniforms emerging up stairways onto the wall and exchanging fire with Valuans, the air whining with stray bullets and grenades occasionally bursting around the action. A transport roared overhead, and a dozen soldiers with parachutes emerged into the open air, floating down and firing their pistols at the enemies below them.

"_Libertad_!" Cried an officer, using his red moonstone sword to cleanly behead a resisting Valuan trooper and leading his men forward in a crowd of death. "_Muerte a Valua_!" Using the momentary distraction, the mercenary charged ahead, leveling his blade for the towering Marine as the Blue Rogues began to chant attack spells in unison.

0-0

Vyse gasped, collapsing onto the tarnished marble road beside the canal that held the several surviving pieces of their lifeboat. Aika and Fina laid beside him, both of them knocked unconscious by the force of impact. He himself was feeling fatigued and pain shot through every part of his body, but he willed himself onwards. _They're going to see the smoke and the crash and send a squad to investigate. I need to do something..._Cupil nuzzled him. "Not now, Cupil, we're in danger!" Cupil did it again with more urgency, demanding his attention. "Well, what is it?"

The small being squeaked and dove into Fina's dress, retrieving a small crystal orb in it's mouth and floating out again, spitting it out on the ground before Vyse. He frowned and picked it up, examining it's slightly glowing crystalline surface that held flickering rainbow light within. "Is this a Silvite item?" It squeaked. "What doe this... thing do?" Cupil morphed into an arm, flexing a muscle and making a heroic noise. "It'll give us strength? Valor?" Cupil nodded. "Holy shit! This is an Aura of Valor, isn't it?" Cupil nodded again. _I thought these things were just rumored... the power to make a coward into a hero, and invigorate even those who are asleep into battle... just what we need_. "Perfect. How do I use it?"

In reply, Cupil became a rough sledgehammer form, crushing the sphere into glass shards with a crunch. Light flooded out from the orb, surrounding Vyse, Aika and Fina, swirling around them as Silver magics were released. An inexplicable energy began to fill Vyse, and he took in a deep breath. Power returned to his entire body, and he felt much like an enhanced Increm spell had just been cast on him. Standing up, he balled his fists and smirked. "I'm feeling awesome! That Aura of Valor really works!"

"It was intended for emergency usage, it was crafted by the Elders themselves for me... I guess this would qualify as an emergency." Fina was already standing up, drying everyone off with a very mild Pyri spell that evaporated the water that had seeped into all of their clothing. Aika was also standing, and grabbed their weapons, tossing Vyse his blades.

He caught them, attaching the holsters to his belt. "Silvite power never ceases to amaze me, Fina," He said. "How long will this effect last?"

"At least a half-hour," She replied, gently petting Cupil to calm the small silver being down.

"Are you all ok?" Several of Nasrad's citizens had been around when the crash happened, and a minor crowd was beginning to congregate. A man stepped up, and when he saw Aika and Fina he gasped in recognition. "Girls!" It was the owner of the destroyed Sunmeade Tavern, Rukil. "What... are you doing here?"

"We're kicking the Valuans out," Aika replied with a level of calm that struck the people in the crowd as completely unnecessary. "That's what all the noise and explosions are. Admiral Karzhai's forces are attacking right now."

"Nobody knew for sure, but the talk was going that way," Rukil said, looking around. "Come on. The patrols will come soon. If they find you three you will all die the death. Let's take you inside until they pass. I must say, even with your mode of arrival..." He spared a glance at the obliterated lifeboat in the clear waters of the canal, "... it is good to see you girls again."

"We thought you had been..." Fina trailed off, but took up her speech again a moment later as they walked down the street, "... in the attack..."

Rukil chuckled. "I been through plenty of stuff in my own day, Aika. I'm tougher than I look... ah, _mierda_. Valuans." A squad of troopers led by a captain was marching down the street, and turned the corner in plain sight of them. They spotted the group, and ran forward, surrounding them.

"It's Vyse the Criminal," One of the Valuans said. "Let's get em, boys!" The soldiers raised their swords.

"I don't think so." Rukil pulled a small object from his pocket and tossed it to the ground. The smoke bomb went off, filling the air with a sudden billowing smoked that began to choke everyone within it's large radius. He grabbed the three Blue Rogues, pulling them out of the smoke and leading them into one of the buildings, barricading the door with furniture behind them and securing the lock. "That won't hold long if they come door-to-door..."

"We should be going," Vyse said. "Are the walkway levels in this part of the city still intact?" The former tavern owner nodded. "We'll use those. We need to get to the city walls and silence the harbor artillery."

Rukil paused. "... Understood. I'll stay behind and stall these _empeños_ for as long as I can." He put a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck. Take good care of the girls. May the Red Moon watch over you in this time of war."

Vyse was about to object, but held his tongue, and nodded soberly. "Thank you, sir. Come on, let's move!" With that they ran up the steps. Seconds later the door began to rumble and a Valuan voice commanded, "Open up in there! Open up or we'll break down the door!" To which Rukil responded with a string of Nasrian profanities.

Aika sighed, and said, "I hope Rukil's going to be ok... he helped us, now, twice when we were down." She cast a brief look back. The teenagers made their way to the top level of the bombed-out building. A door led outside, and Vyse kicked it open, revealing the open air and the set of walkways that spanned across nearly the whole marble city. Visible signs of heavy damage was everywhere, and several possible routes were demolished. Those that looked solid might collapse at any point, and they saw no sane Nasrians even trying to use the walkways.

With this careful state in mind, Vyse inched forward on the walkway, ready to leap back and try another way at the slightest sign of trouble. Pointing himself towards the flash and rumble of thunder in the distance of the enemy artillery, he got moving, forcing himself to calm down and to be very patient.

Twice the marble surface cracked and creaked when his weight was put paid to it's weakened structure, but it never collapsed, and both the girls were lighter than he, making it a relatively safe journey across several city blocks. Finally, the enormous city walls were within reach, and when the gun spoke out again the ground shook and rumbled horribly.

"There's stairwells leading up to access ramps across the walls," Vyse told them, pausing as the thunder crack of the artillery with another round of fire interrupted him. He continued, "Let's go that way. When we get to the gun, use Red Magic spells to melt the muzzle together and mess up the aiming mechanism. That'll put that gun out of commission until they can resmelt it into place at a forge." They nodded, moving out.

Two Marines stood guard at the gatehouse leading up to the interior of the wall through the access route, the massive armored troopers wielding their advanced gun-lances and looking in no mood to be intimidated. Nonetheless, the Blue Rogues walked right up to them, and Vyse said, "Let us through."

The Marine gave a throaty chuckle and coughed. "What in the name of Empress Teodora thinks we're going to admit some sailor into the wall during a battle? Access restricted to royal officers only. Now shoo, before we squash you, boy... hey, wait... you look kind of familiar... Vyse the Valiant!" He exclaimed the title of the wanted fugitive standing before him like an oath, and both of the Valuans crouched down into a battle stance.

Vyse rolled his eyes. "I guess the sketch-artists in Valua are finally getting better at doing me. Before now I hardly ever got credit for kicking your Empire's ass up and down two continents." He drew his blades, twirling them and charging.

Aika took a step back and concentrated. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" Red field lines appeared around her and a glowing runic symbol illuminated her in blood-red magical light. Suddenly a shell of flame appeared around Vyse, and when Vyse swung his blade he sent out a whip of fire which melted into the great shields of the Valuan Marines. Confounded by this unknown magic, they had no defense, but raised their weapons for a counter-attack. The bullets of both men melted in the shell of heat, useless. "I call it the Theta Flame. Neat, huh?"

"Very impressive," The teenager admitted, easily forming a fireball and sending it soaring into the air. It exploded, pushing both of the bulky figures back. They felt the heat even through their advanced combat armor. Vyse stepped forward, keeping up the attack with blades heated to glowing white, and when one raised his lance to attack, he beat down his point before the trigger could be pulled.

A wave of water slammed into him from the side, extinguishing the shell of fire and sending Vyse to the ground, tumbling over several feet of stone pavement before finally coming to a rest. Everyone looked over, to find a patrol of three Spell Wardens who were returning from their rounds, and had decided to involve themselves in the fight.

"Hey, pirate scum," The leader of the battle mages said, stepping forward and twirling his long oak staff, "Why don't you pick on someone who knows magic for once? You might find the odds a little too even for your liking, however."

The redheaded Blue Rogue glared, stepping forward. "I got these three. I just love popping huge Valuan egos like this guy. You two handle the apes." Vyse got to his feet, nodding in acknowledgment and looking up to see both Marines charging for him, their footsteps loud and metallic.

"Moons! Give Me Strength!"

"Moons, Give Me Strength!" He and she said in near-unison. Aika was summoning forth Purple Magic, an area she wasn't familiar with as much as Red or Green elements, but something she was competent in. He was using his familiar element, Yellow Magic. Lightning crackled around him, and he formed ball-lightning in his gloved hand within moments, the air crackling with ionization. Ice crystals began to form in the air above them.

Fina stepped up next to Aika and put a hand on her shoulder, closing her eyes and channeling her significant magical energies into her friend. The purple light around them intensified, and without warning the spell was finished. A dozen large ice spikes descended, impaling the Valuan Spell Warden completely. He gasped, feeling the ice, which contained more magic within it's solidly frozen matter.

Freezing up was not the word for it. His body became too cold to support life, and he limply knelt, falling to the ruined street beneath him. The gathering lightning spell faded out of existence, the ionization in the air quickly evanescing. The other two Spell Wardens stepped back, beginning their own counter-spells, which were also of the Yellow dominion.

Vyse flipped into the air, barely avoiding a powerful strike which buried one of the Marine's lances into the rock, embedding it and causing spiderweb fissures to pulse outwards from the point of colossal impact. Yellow energy flowed into these cracks, making them glow with the wasted Electres spell that would have connected with Vyse in a fatal manner if his strike had found it's mark. A yellow-charged bullet buzzed past his ear by a matter of centimeters, but he was unfaded by this, charging forward.

"Ha! Cutlass Fury!" Focusing his willpower into his blades, he made them glow a bright blue color, and began to attack the temporarily stuck enemy with all of his might. A dozen slashing blows landed on his heavy armor, and with each one came an explosion which ripped through metal and produced the blood of his victim.

Leaping back, he barely avoided the charge of the other Marine, and turned to attack his exposed back. Pulling a grenade from a pouch clipped to his belt, he primed the small cylinder and tossed it. It landed on the ground, bouncing twice and skipping over to land directly at the second Valuan's feet. The bulky man looked down, and tried to dive backwards, but he was too slow and too late to do much.

Fire bloomed upwards in a tower of destruction, blinding Vyse for a moment. When sight returned to him, he saw that pieces of high-velocity shrapnel must have stuck a fairly vital part of the man's unarmored neck or joints, because the mountain of muscle and steel was laying flatly on the ground, showing no signs of movement.

The other man had given up his troublesome stuck weapon, charging at him with arms wide open and fully ready to rip the teenager apart. Balling his gauntleted fist, he landed a punch that sent Vyse flying into the far wall with a solid thump. Aika saw this, looking back in alarm and breaking the next round of spells she had begun to summon. "Vyse!" She called out in concern. Fina also looked over, but continued her spell, sending another set of fireballs raining from the sky onto the enemy.

"Cupil, go help Vyse," She ordered. "Take him this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Sacrum crystal, a precious and impossibly potent crystal enchanted with one of the highest-level Green Magics known to humanity. Cupil gently swallowed the crystal, darting through the air. She looked over at Aika. "Aika. Aika!"

Aika looked over, just barely in time to duck. The lightning bolt passed inches above her head, causing her hair to smolder a little and the static to poof out the flaming orange locks slightly. She frowned. _I have to focus on the fight, or we're all dead_. The air pirate girl decided to take the fight to the mages in a physical way, tossing her immense boomerang at the one to the left.

Cupil passed the surprised Marine, who stared for a moment at the odd being floating without any visible source in the air. He spat the crystal like a bullet, and it landed right on Vyse's back, a single crack appearing in it's otherwise flawless emerald surface. Green light enveloped him, and Cupil determined to distract the large man, morphing into a small blade and charging for him with it's squeaky little war cry.

The Spell Wardens were not trained in much hand-to-hand nor melee combat at all, their talents in battle focused in a narrow range of skills- those relating to Magics. The man was unprepared for a direct attack, and although he raised his staff to block, found it knocked cleanly out of his hand by the force of the huge weapon, watching it fly into the bright air. With no way to cast his special magic, he was helpless as a fireball hit him in the gut, and crumpled up.

Now the last caster against two powerful foes, the Valuan mage lost none of his determination to fight, raising his staff. "You want to play real, huh? Watch this! Moons! Give Me Strength!" A sensation shot through Fina, and she knew the spell even before the familiar Silver runic circle appeared under the man's feet.

"Eternes," She breathed. "The spell of death... Aika! You must put up your Delta Shield, right away! Please hurry!" Doing as instructed, Aika began to summon magical barriers over Vyse, Fina and herself. Rainbow lights appeared in the sky, even as the mage began to finish the lethal Silver spell.

Vyse groaned, standing up. He was in very little pain, his injury having been wiped clean out by the miraculous effects of Fina's Sacrum Crystal. He grabbed his blades and went back into the fight, charging the unsuspecting Marine from behind and cleaving him straight down his spine. His weakened armor couldn't take it, splitting open. Blood sprayed over him as the man twisted, twitched, and fell like so many bricks. He watched him die quickly, looking over and finding Aika and Fina with only one standing enemy. He stepped around the bodies of his foes, Cupil in toe.

"Why can't I snap your ethereal lines?" The Spell Warden demanded in alarm, stepping back. "No shield can protect someone from Silver Magics! It's impossible!"

"Impossible? That's our forte. Moons! Give Me-" Aika smirked and began to summon another battery of punishing spells. She was interrupted, however, by the lone Valuan enemy soldier.

"Wait! Please! I surrender!" He knelt, throwing his staff to the ground at the girls' feet. "Your magical prowess is orders above mine..." He bowed his head. "Please, spare me. I'll become a Nasrian POW." _I guess I got lucky... the others are dead, and if the reverse was true, Nasr's prison camps are a lot more humane than the Empire's..._

A general uproar seized everyone's attention. Two squads of Nasr troopers, blood-stained and battle torn but still very much in it, were jogging along the street towards them. Upon seeing who it was, an officer stepped forward and saluted. "Sir Vyse! We have secured a dozen guns and put the rest out of commission. That one is the last one." He pointed his drawn scimitar to the gun on the wall almost directly above them.

Vyse nodded, wiping the blood from his own face. "Alright. Where's my other team?"

"I haven't heard any news about them- sorry, sir. The battle overhead is nearly even, but the firepower of your ship is tipping it our way. We've sustained forty percent casualties, but only seven Spectres still fly, plus a few smaller captured Nasr boats." He pointed into the sky, where dozens of figures intertwined in a dance of the sky, explosions blossoming all around them. Occasionally one of the figures would burst into flames or just quietly begin to sink, signaling the death or defeat of another crew.

"Hey, where's that Baker character?" Aika asked, stepping forward. "Isn't he the leader of the Valuan occupation? Don't tell me he's gonna pull an Alfonso on us. I'm really looking forward to beating the Looper-shit out of another Admiral for all the death that's happened today."

"We haven't found him yet," He replied. "Skirmishing is still going on in the streets, although our forces are on the advance and we've secured most of the wall segments but, again, that part right here. We suspect that he's hiding amongst the ruins of the old Nasultan Palace Complex in the center of Nasrad... but the enemy's lines are strong and deep there, and they have Draklor Tanks at their disposal."

Vyse scowled, remembering the stories about the Draklor Valuan Tank. It was a large metal vehicle that traveled on rubber treads, with a large gun, a powerful attack, and very bulky armor that made it deadly to regular soldiers. Some said it was a metal demon, but he doubted that was anything more than the usual human embellishment of scary objects.

"Let's deal with that gun, then we can find Baker and dig him out of his hole," Vyse said. "Sergeant, we'll take the point for this. Back us up." He went up to the dead Marines, searching both of them until he found a small key. Using it on the locked security bulkhead that they had been guarding, he was not surprised when it swung in, admitting him access to the old stairwell that led into the interior of the wall.

"I can't believe we missed most of the action," Aika sighed. "We only get to blow up one gun... Luke and Rodgers are probably kicking ass all across the city and being all heroic and stuff. Damnit, we're the main characters, they're just crewmen!"

"Do even _you_ know what you're ranting about half the time?" Vyse asked irritably, but before an argument could flare up between the inseparable air pirate duo, they thankfully ran into a squad of Valuan guards in a darkened passageway. A short battle and they all laid slain, thanks in large part to their powerful backup in the Nasr soldiers. He sighed, looking around. "Look, that way. We just have to keep going up until we reach the top, which is where that artillery is mounted. Occasionally the ground shook as the Valuan cannon spoke out again and again, and it sickened him to think their delay was letting them send more death into the sky.

Vyse heard voices on the other side of an ajar door, and raised his blades. The voices stopped abruptly, as if they had detected him and his group. Reaching out, he pushed open the door fully, leaping up into a battle stance and crossing blades with... Lawrence. Recognition dawned on the midnight faces of the two men, and they withdrew their blades, standing down.

"Captain," He said curtly. "We were just wondering where you had touched down in the city." He nodded over to Luke and Rodgers, who also had several allied soldiers in tow.

"I'm glad that everyone is safe," Fina said happily, bowing to them.

Luke smirked. "Don't worry about that gun that's topside. Rodgers left a little present for the artillery crew manning that big time bomb... we should get out onto the street. Safer for us, and we get to watch the explosion." They backtracked, emerging out onto the street and looking up. The Valuan gun loaded yet another shell, elevating forward with the whine of machinery and firing.

It exploded. With no visible cause, the entire machine exploded, the shell detonating prematurely in a reaction with the gunpowder and the small grenade Rodgers had wired into the firing mechanism. It fell apart under the destruction, the long barrel falling forwards and splintered bits of metal and wood casing and ammo crates flew into the sky. Everyone let out a cheer. All of the guns had been silenced, leaving only the Valuan occupation fleet to contend with.

"Our job's not over yet," Vyse spoke up. "Let's get moving, people. If we can find Baker in the city and take him hostage, we can force him to call off his troops and stop the battle before we loose anyone or the _Delphinus_ gets obliterated." Even as he spoke that, he noticed an object appearing directly above the city, climbing upwards. He blinked, zooming into the object. "It's a ship!"

"That must be Baker," Rodgers said. "Little bastard. He is going to try and run... Vyse, we can't let that guy get away."

"We can't catch them in the skiff," Lawrence observed. "That flagship's a Spectre, too. Even the Nasr airships couldn't do it if they weren't invested in battle. The only thing that could catch Baker now is... the _Delphinus_."

"Let me have your radio," Vyse ordered to the bewildered Nasr officer, who surrendered the hand-held back piece of machinery. Tuning it to the frequency David had offered yesterday, 34.63 _hertzios_. As soon as he turned on the radio, the chatter of the battle overhead blasted into him. He spoke up. "This is Vyse to the _Delphinus_. _Delphinus_, come in, this is an emergency situation."

"Delphinus_ here, Vyse. What's the status down there? Over_." David's voice, although distorted by the radio technology and tempered by the white noise of the failed Valuan jamming systems, was more strained than usual. The battle overhead must have been taking all of his effort, especially to pilot a fairly still unfamiliar ship against Armada elites.

"Baker's running! Get after him, on the double-quick. Take him hostage, that's all that matters, and we can end this battle now." He squinted up into the shrinking form of Baker's escape ship, which was headed straight for the North Dannel Straight's location to the north. "Oh... hell... the _Delphinus_ can't ford sky rifts yet... damn! Can you get him in time?"

"_I don't think so_," David replied after a second of thought. "_This thing can outrun a Spectre, but not in a sprint, and he's got quite a head start on us. He should be at the North Dannel any minute now..._"

"We lost him..." Aika blinked, then balled her hand into a fist. "Moons damnit! We lost him!"

"Yeah..." He smiled. "We still won the battle down here, huh? It's only a matter of time before Karzhai's troops sweep up the remaining Valuan troops, the people are rioting all over to help them, too. Although they're taking heavy losses our fleet can beat Baker's remaining ships. Looks like, official or not, Nasrad can live up to the first half of it's name again."

"Well, maybe we should-" Luke was cut off by the radio.

"_The last enemy ships are running! The enemy fleet is finally in retreat! We beat them! Nasrad is ours again!_ _Gloria a la luna roja!"_ At this breathless advisory, they looked to the sky. The few remaining Valuan ships were running at their top speeds away, and the Nasr fleet was forming up over the city. Cheers to either side of them from the city showed the victorious air of the people and troops there. The sounds of battle got quieter as the last of the enemy troops, seeing their hopeless situation, resigned themselves to their fate and committed suicide or surrendered to advancing Nasr battalions.

_"¡Hemos alcanzado la victoria!"_ The officer declared, raising his blade into the air. The Nasr men around him cheered and whooped. "This is a glorious day for our country, indeed! Three cheers for the Red Moon! Three cheers for Admiral Karzhai, the Liberator of Nasrad!"

"Three cheers for the Blue Rogues!" Someone declared, and Vyse grinned widely and took a bow, Aika doing the same a moment later.

"Psst. You all did more than us," Vyse idly dismissed. "You should really be cheering Enrique and his awesome ship. That's what saved all of our bacon today." He looked up into the sky. "Vyse to _Delphinus_. Is everyone ok? How's the ship? Over."

"Delphinus_ to Vyse. The ship's a little banged and scraped up, but we're still afloat. Aside from Marco falling down a few times, and Enrique's stomach exploding a few times, the crew's all fine, too. Looks like everything went well this time. We're going to keep formation with the fleet. Karzhai's headed down there personally, maybe you should get over to the docks and talk with him."_

"I'll keep that under advisement. Thanks, David." He sighed, clicking off his radio and handing it back to the Nasrian officer. "Man... what a troublesome day." He smiled tiredly. "I'm already a little bushed. Alright everyone, lets get movin'." His crew followed him as he started out.

All over the city, people began to emerge from their homes and shelter, looking around the ruined town to find a welcome sight- Nasr soldiers marching down the streets, securing the neighborhoods and raising their national flag at every intersection. People began to cheer in their native language, and when the flag was finally raised above the wreckage of the Nasultan's Palace at the center of the metropolis, the news finally began to sink into the populace. The fleet overhead, clearly visible in the sky, only reinforced this glorious information.

Nasrad was free.


	13. Humble Beginnings

Chapter Thirteen- Humble Beginnings

The Blue Rogues picked their way through rubble-laden boulevards that showcased the almost demolished beauty and majesty of Nasrad. The city, which had yet to recover from the brutal Valuan bombardment, now also bore the scars of the faltering battle. Even though the areas around the walls saw the first ringings of peace, the inner sections of the city still rumbled with gunfire and the clash of swords as the last pockets of suicidal resistance fought the Nasr Army's advancing brigades.

Nasrians began emerging from their homes in droves, flooding the streets with life anew to supplant what was lost in the attack. There had been more survivors than anyone had estimated from the attack and slave-like occupation of the city by Baker's forces, and the bronzed-skin people were in full celebration. Soldiers in full uniform broke apart from their units to join in the celebration, and many sought out their families in joyous reunion.

As they passed, they were greeted with respectful or simply jovial phrases, more often than not in Nasrian. Vyse smiled bravely, nodding back to all of them and forcing himself onwards. His fight had left him tired, and the wondrous effects of the Aura of Valor began to slowly drain out of his system, sapping him of a little more strength each minute. Lawrence keenly noted the faltering leader and moved behind him to catch him if he should fall, but to his credit he remained under his own power for more than five city blocks.

Voices and screams floated in from a bombed hospital across the street from the city wall that was flooded with patients, it's windows blasted in and marble surface polluted gray but still serving it's primary purpose. Valuans and Nasrians laid equally in bloody heaps across the floors of the facility and outside on it's large porch and courtyard, as medics went around attending to everyone with Sacri crystals and Green magic.

When stocks of the life-giving supplies ran out, they passed out stores of moondust, allowing many of the critically wounded to pass their final minutes in Arcadia in a restful trance, free of the agony their vessel felt. No sign of the hostility passed between them, and enemies laid beside each other, praying to their Moon and struggling to survive.

Vyse paused, looking in a mute and morbid fascination at the broken humanity on display. The rest of his companions looked over as well, and it affected them deeply, even as Lawrence put on a stoic face, and Fina was horrified to her core. She had never seen such a dismal, hideous sight. Finally he averted his eyes and let out a shaky breath. "Come on. We have to help these people... girls, use your Green Magic." Leading his little group up to an officer who looked in charge, he nodded to him. "Sir, how can we help you?"

"Just let the Green Spells rip, sir," The officer replied with a small salute. His uniform was soaked through with the blood of others, and his face was dirty and grimy. The man didn't look like he was enjoying the scenery, either. "We stabilize em and then send them out to secondary facilities. Not only are we handling casualties of the ground fight, but we have lifeboat squads incoming from the sky full of wounded."

With no further words the group disbanded, moving along those that were critically wounded and using healing magic to stabilize many of them. Aika came to a large, burly man who had suffered a magazine explosion, and was struggling against a pair of medics. He had a big black beard, and was heavily muscled, adorned with the uniform of the Nasr Artillery Guard. "I'm fine," He bellowed angrily. "Let me get back to my guns, docs! I don't need any operations or nothin!"

"One of your caissons detonated two meters from you," One of the medics said in a most exasperated explanation. "Come on, Khazim! Just sit down and let us heal you, the Valuans aren't going to take your gun station again in five minutes!" With a tremendous effort, they finally got the large man to sit still, to their relief. They looked over as Aika approached. "New nurse?" The medic asked. "Good luck treating this one. He looks at suicide like most of us look at a paper cut."

"I just got a good fortitude," The large man retorted angrily. "Ey, hurry it up, at least, I need to get back to my post! The Valuans caught me unready once, but I won't let it happen that way next time!"

Aika grinned. "I like your attitude... Khazim, is it? You're part of the Artillery Guard, right? What are you doing in this attack?"

"I managed to slip out of the city after the Valuans bombed it," Khazim replied. "I was on duty at my gun when they came, but by the time we got the thing ready to fight, the shelling had begun and the artillery couldn't track high enough to return fire." He balled his fists. "If we had been able to hit em back we could have obliterated the entire fleet!" Aika sat next to him, closing her eyes and beginning to cast healing spells. He let out a long sigh and relaxed slightly as he felt all the pain being drained from his body like he was a cup that was gently tipped over. "How about you, missy?" He asked. "You don't look Nasrian, what're you doin' here?"

"I'm Aika, of the Blue Rogues," She said, standing up again and giving him the thumbs-up sign. "All patched up, the magic should have you back to new in a matter of hours. You shouldn't feel those burns at all any more."

"Thank you," He said. "Air pirates, huh? Well, at least you're Blue Rogues... they got honor, no wonder they wanted to help us against the damn Valuans. How many other of y'all are here?"

"Oh, just a few others and our ship, the _Delphinus_," She said, turning away from him and treating a Valuan pilot who had passed out on the floor, a gaping sword wound ripping through his battered teal light armor. Her hands glowed green and the Valuan's very flesh began to regrow itself, magical energy restoring the tissues in his body and reconnecting nerve cells as they formed new blood vessels to replaced that which was lost.

"Who's your captain?" Helping out, he took out a Sacri crystal from a nearby box and handed it to a Nasr trooper leaning against the wall and holding his arm limply. The man nodded in thanks as he applied the merciful crystal to the gashes across his exposed limb. "I'd like to meet that guy..."_ I wonder if he's in need of a man who can rassle a gun into it's place, and shoot down some Armada ships._

"Vyse." As if invoked like a spell, the brave teenager turned the corner of the building and walked up to her. He still looked fairly grim, and his mood was in no way enhanced by the wounded all around them. "Hey," She greeted him.

"I'm out of magic," He said with a sigh. "I'm just got very good at that stuff... I could only get three Sacri spells out before my magical power faded out." He looked up at the large gunner. "... Hi there."

"You Vyse?" Khazim asked. "My name is Khazim, of the Nasr Artillery Guard. I fought in the attack like you and your crew did." He reached out his large hand, which completely enveloped Vyse's smaller hand, but he didn't squeeze that hard.

"A pleasure," The teenager said with a slight nod.

"Hm... when the Valuans attacked, they caught me unready, and because of that a lot of people died today..." He looked around, crossing his broad arms across his muscled chest. "Think your ship could manage to take on a veteran gunner wanting to settle the score a little with the Imperial Armada?"

Vyse grinned, and looking like his usual uplifting self for a few moments. "That's just the kind of person we're looking for. I'm still recruiting crew to fully staff our ship. You wouldn't happen to know anyone like that, would you?"

"Oh yeah. Great guy. He'll be at the docks waiting for you later." With that Khazim quickly took his leave, presumably headed back for his gun as he had objected to the medics while being brought in for treatment. _I'm a little airsick, but that should pass in time. Besides, this is my big shot to take a shot at that little shit Teodora._

Soon all of them had expended what supplies and energy they had left, and met back in front of the hospital. Working diligently, the medical staff appeared to be whittling down the number of wounded, and the number of patients began to decline back to rational levels as they set out again for the docks district to meet with Admiral Karzhai.

This time, they were drawn by the loud sound of sobbing coming from one of the miraculously spotless ramps that led up to the next levels of the wrecked buildings around them. Vyse and Aika exchanged looks, leading the group up two flights of steps and drawing nearer to the source of the crying, which was beginning to sound vaguely familiar to Fina and Aika for some reason. As the turned the corner, they saw a large woman, immaculately dressed, kneeling in front of the smoking rubble of a large building. As they came closer, Aika gasped. "You!"

Osman, infamous financier and well traveled merchant of Nasrad, looked over to them, blinking away her sorrowful tears under the cover of her deep rose-tinged glasses. "Wh-wha? Wait..." She got to her feet quickly and walked over to them. "You're that girl from a few weeks before!" _I'd recognize that hair anywhere... might want to keep that one to myself..._ "Oh, my shop has been destroyed by the battle, I'm ruined!"

"Heh." Apparently, Aika remembered Osman just as well. "Well, I don't see how that's any of _our_ business. Real shame what happened to you, I'd love to help, if you had some collateral and weren't such an evil band of murderous rapists."

"... I didn't put it quite so harshly," The bulbous trader noted, hanging her head in abject shame and submissiveness. "Oh, you're the leader, Vyse Dyne! Please, oh Captain, I beg of your assistance!"

Vyse frowned. "Um..." He felt genuine concern for the woman, but going contrary to Aika's wishes had awarded him much pain in the past. "... how can we help?" He asked cautiously, feeling the redhead's piercing gaze turning upon him. "If it's anything within reason, we'll be glad to do it. After all, we are Blue Rogues, _and we do help people_," He grunted that last part out to Aika, glaring right back at her with equal intensity.

"I don't expect you to forgive me for my contrary behavior towards your friends in the past," Osman said desperately, "But allow me to come along aboard your ship. With my office demolished and my assistant run off with most of my monies, I'm as broke as a common... _beggar_! If I come along with you, I can help you make lots of money while I do the same for myself! Everyone wins!"

He considered this for several moments and let out a long sigh. "Alright. We'll see how this goes. Welcome aboard my crew, but for fair warning, I think Aika is going to be watching you very closely, so no crookery aboard the _Delphinus_, clear?"

"As a Curia Crystal," She chirped, grabbing the small bags she did have and saying, "Well, then, let's be off. Being out in the heat is bad for my complexion." Although she did not voice it, Aika was of the opinion that Osman must have at some point been on the Red Moon for her complexion to have reached it's current state.

Surprisingly enough, the newly increased party of air pirates made their way through the last few streets to the gatehouse of the city walls without any further incidents, and passed outwards onto the large marble platform that made up Nasrad's extensive docks.

Ample proof of the city's turbulent prior month of battles and events played out across Vyse's eyes as he looked across the docks. Enormous gaping holes in the masonry made several routes impossible to cross, and entire dock sections had been blown clean into Deep Sky. Most of the structures along the side of the wall and the wall itself showed severe fire damage. Nasr troops had secured t he docks, and now a smattering of military and civilian sailors moved around them.

Standing next to a familiar sailboat anchored to either side of Nasr Army assault transports was Admiral Karzhai and his guards, and Doc and Maria. Vyse, Aika and Fina all did a double-take at the sight of the free ship doctor and his personally adopted orphan charge.

"Hey," Doc said with a small wave.

"Doc," Vyse remarked, "I really wasn't expecting you here. This place just had a huge battle, you know."

"Oh, yeah, I know," The doctor nodded. "I heard about the coming fight a few days ago and decided to head this way and offer my medical services to both sides. War breeds a lot of injury." Vyse was put in mind of the hospital they had helped, and the teenager agreed with him. "For my part, I'm not surprised to see you here. Wherever there's trouble brewing you're sure to be in the thick of it, heh."

"Hello, Maria," Aika said, looking down at the small blonde girl with a kindly smile. The child's only reply was to attempt to sink deeper into Doc's jacket, giving no other sign she had heard the redhead speak. The air pirate sighed, backing up and looking over to the others again.

"The fight is over, and our capitol is once again free," Karzhai said with a nod. "It won't be an easy war ahead of us. The Armada's got twenty times our force and now not even the Barrier Reefs nor the North Straight will help us repel them. But we're never gonna give up, that's for sure. Everyone... thank you for your assistance. The _Delphinus_ and her crew played a critical role in driving off Baker's fleet."

Vyse smirked. "We were just glad to help out. Plus, I'm sure friends of Nasr will be welcomed in your skies- we're planning on setting up a base north of here in the abandoned island chains."

"Of course. I'll dispatch a ship with supplies and men to assist you if you want it." The Admiral smirked in satisfaction. "Hm... we've still got a lot of work, here, too. Why don't you all stay the night in the city, and allow the people to properly thank you for your heroic deeds?"

Remembering mostly his explorations in womens' fashion in Ixa'taka, the teenager blinked in alarm. "Uhm... no offense, but we've been off our mission way too long, and I'd rather just keep on moving along. Besides, we've got a lot of stuff to do, too. Maybe we'll stop by later, though."

"I understand," Karzhai replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's many other matters for me to attend to, and the good Doctor here wishes to talk with you for some reason. May the Red Moon always bless your righteous path." With a formal bow, he led his entourage away into the city, and up towards the wall's gatehouse.

"So, what else is up, Doc?" Vyse asked. "Need us to catch some more moonfish? How is that bird thing doing, anyway?"

"It's doing splendidly," The man replied. "Apparently it can store energy for months and eats whenever it can, using a surprisingly small amount of chemical energy. That way it can survive eating such a rare and evasive source of food. Anyway, I was wondering if we could join your crew."

The abrupt shift in subject caught the teen off-guard. "Huh? Our crew? But, Doc, you got your own ship already. Why'd you want to join our band of ragamuffins?"

"Heh. The _Sacres_ is literally nothing compared with the _Delphinus_. I don't even have weapons- It was never a problem before, because everyone understood that they would probably need me some day and thus I was pretty untouchable. Lately... well, things are changing. I've gotten robbed twice in the last month alone. The Valuans are starting to really hammer down on me with taxes whenever I approach them, and monster populations are starting to increase. Moonfish are becoming harder to find each month, and even though the bird is good at surviving, I'm still starting to worry. If we go with you, we'll get protection and we'll get to new places faster, increasing our chances of finding moonfish.

That's what we get out of it, now here's what you get. An experienced Doctor for when your acts of suicide start to sting, and to advise you on things relating to health and science. We can probably fit my ship in your ship's lifeboat hangar, so you'll get another sturdy craft. What do you say?" He looked over at Vyse.

"Guys?" Vyse looked back. Although he was the Captain, like all good commanders he consulted his crew when making decisions. They all agreed with the idea, especially that of having someone with a better bedside manner than Aika doing their healing. Fina commented that she had a very good bedside manner for _her_, which led to much embarrassment. "Alright, it's settled then. Fina will never reference her sexual congress with Aika again unless directly asked. Anyway, where were we... welcome aboard, Doc." He shook hands with the older man.

Doc chuckled. "I'm sure we'll fit right in. Maria, isn't this great? We'll finally have strong people to protect you, and we'll get to find more moonfish." She nodded ever so slightly, and it was almost imperceptible. "Maybe having other kids her age around will help her... I really hope so."

Vyse's radio activated, crackling to life with a puff of static and yielding the distorted copy of David's voice. "Delphinus _to Vyse. What's the hold up? Are you all being held hostage or something? We're awaiting your arrival_." The ship was indeed visible, hovering over the city like just another vigilant sentinel, it's profile outlined by the blazing sun directly behind it.

"We're coming," The teenager replied. "We've got some new crew, too... all we're waiting for is that gunner who-"

"I'm here!" Running up the dock to them was the large Khazim, who had in toe who much smaller Nasr gunners who were dressed in full uniform. "Sorry, Cap'n! I had to get my crew together. Anyway, we're ready to get up to the ship now. And see the guns. Heh."

"Alright. All aboard. Doc, it's your ship, you drive." The Blue Rogues all piled aboard the small skiff, Osman seated delicately in the back of the pilothouse on the ship's only bench while Doc, Vyse and Luke stood at the helm, the girls were up front with the bird that had just emerged from it's large cage, and Khazim and his men sitting on the main deck next to the rigging of the sails.

The _Sacres_ slowly rose from it's hovering position, it's sails catching a good wind and proudly puffing out. The small fins to either side of the ship's rounded hull began to flap, pushing them forward into the air and straight for the waiting flagship and into the sun. Although his stolen Valuan airship was admittedly impressive, Vyse had missed being aboard a good, old-fashioned sailboat for a few weeks now. Most air pirates preferred the sails to the propellers, one of the larger reasons being that Valuans never sailed, ever.

It was a very brief flight, and all too soon they drew close to the _Delphinus_. The larger ship rotated around, turning to present it's left side and opening the large steel doors to it's lifeboat hangar. Doc's prediction was proven true when they fit into the opening, although the masts made it a tough squeeze and they quickly drew in the sails. Landing under it's own power on one of the magnetic rail tracks vacated by the used-up skiffs, the _Sacres_'s fins came to a halt as it's engine powered down.

David was waiting next to the door that led back into the ship, leaning against the wall. "Welcome back," He called out, his voice echoing slightly in the broad metal chamber. "The kids were getting so hyperactive." He nodded to Marco and Pinata, who ran out from next to him, followed by Belle and her girls.

"Vyse! We kicked some serious ass," The Valuan urchin declared proudly. "I handled the throttle for David, too. Did a real fine job, just like a sailor should."

"I helped with the minor repairs," Pinata said, bouncing up and down energetically. "The whole crew pitched in, everyone did their part. The ship's good as new now, sir, and we've all just been waiting here for you."

"Awesome job, guys," The captain encouraged, looking back. "Everyone, meet the newest members of our crew. That's Khazim and his men, they're Nasr Artillery Guards who've agreed to come help us. This is Doc and Maria, we came here on their ship, and that's Osman. She's a famous businesswoman."

"Greetings," Osman said loftily. "I look forward to making insane amounts of money with you all."

"Heya," Belle said to Khazim, walking up to him. "You're a gunner, too, huh? That means we're going to be working together! This is so cool! You're a really big guy, Mr. Khazim!" The two girls behind her giggled.

Khazim found problems focusing on her cute face, as his eyes strongly pulled downwards and tried to focus on her large, bouncy assets. "Um... yeah. Awesome." _Damn, this ain't a gunnery crew! It's a child pervert trap!_ He forced a confident smile and struck a muscular pose, making the girls all make noises of astonishment.

"Hm..." Doc also looked at Belle, although his mind was mostly clean, only worrying about the practical aspects of such a sight. _We're going to need a lot of tissue and extra plasma infusions if those girls get too energetic..._ He looked over at Marco and Pinata, who were failing to get a conversation out of the rather intimidated little Maria. "Hey, guys, go easy on her. She doesn't really talk much anymore, but she's a really nice girl. Maybe you two could show her around?"

"Good idea, Doc," Marco nodded. "Leave it to us! C'mon, Maria, let's show you the ship. It's pretty damn kickass, if you ask me." With that, the reluctant blonde in tow, the two special boys marched off down the hallway.

"Alright, let's finally get underway," David suggested. "I just got a message from Gilder." He held out his gloved hand to reveal a roll of parchment. " 'David- hope everything's been ok with you all. Been busy evading Clara, I think we're finally free. Meet you at Crescent Isle. - Gilder'. Wow, usually it takes the _Claudia_ longer to outrun Clara, she must be feeling generous this month."

Vyse smirked. "Alright. I'd love to see Gilder again. Hang on, where's Enrique?"

"In the infirmary," David replied. "Poor bastard only got worse and worse when we pulled some pretty crazy turns in the battle... he hasn't even eaten in thirty-six hours but he's still puking up... something. Doc, maybe you should have a look at him. He's really looking bad, airsickness usually isn't this horrible." Doc nodded, grabbing his bag of tools and heading off. "Uh... I'll show you where that is. Go ahead up the bridge and get us going, guys."

Aika, Fina and Vyse went up to the bridge with Luke and Rodgers, who helped them man the controls. Vyse looked around the large compartment and his crew, taking in a deep breath. He was feeling much better for some reason. "Man, are we big damn heroes, or what? I'm starting to really like this ship. _Delphinus_... full speed ahead!" The engine kicked up to full power, and the propellers in the back of the battleship began to spin quicker and quicker.

Pulling away from Nasrad and it's fleet, a single transport pulled up behind them and began to follow them. Aika noticed this. "That must be the engineers that Karzhai promised us. They'll be really useful in founding our base." Looking at the Nasrian flag flapping proudly off the rust-red bow of the corvette, she gasped. "Hey, we totally forgot!"

"Forgot about what?" Luke intelligently asked, looking up from the throttle that he had been idly testing and moving about at variable speeds.

"The flag, for the ship!" Aika sighed. "Man, we were so busy checking out the ship, and then we visited home, and then we freed a country from enslavement... I didn't even make out a design yet."

Vyse blinked. "I got mine done." He nodded to the back of the bridge, where, sitting next to the captain's chair on the raised altar was a roll of blue with a wooden stick in the middle. "Go unroll it." Aika walked back there and found two rolls. She looked over at Fina.

"I mostly completed mine, as well," The timid Silvite admitted. "I thought I had heard the name Delphinus before... it was an old sea creature that eventually evolved into an air-based animal that you know as a Dolphin before becoming extinct. So I designed it around that."

Unrolling both of the flags, Aika looked them over. Both had a rich and deep blue background, but any similarities ended there. Vyse had made the traditional white skull with an additional skyglass fashioned very similar to his. A notched cutlass blade flowed out from it like the skull was a hilt, and it sported a pair of short wings. Aika chuckled. "Hey, this is a pretty cool drawing, Vyse. The skull thing's a little overdone, though."

"So sue me," Vyse replied. "Meh. I put a lot of thought into it. Skulls are tradition, you know. The rest of the symbols should pretty much speak for themselves. It's all straightforward, and tells people exactly what the Blue Rogues are about."

Rodgers nodded, looking it over. "I like it. What did Fina make?" Aika turned to the other roll and grabbed it, spreading it across the royal-red carpet for all to see. It had a cute creature with a long, soft beak and wings, smiling, in the center of the blue background. It seemed very uplifting and gentle, which was a mirror image of Fina herself.

"I thought skulls were a little too scary for our flag," She spoke, growing redder with each passing second at such public scrutiny. "So I drew a Dolphin with wings. It might not make anyone afraid, but it shows how we're good people."

Luke smirked. "Forces of evil beware, we're very cute and nice and fluffy. Yeah, Galcian's going to love that."

"Come on," Vyse said, as Fina bowed her head in embarrassment. "I think it's a pretty nice thing. Blue Rogues are about being more than armed robbers, that's like the whole point, and she really put a lot into it. Give her some respect." He looked around. "Aika, we can hold off a decision until you finish your own flag, and then we'll get everyone to take a vote. The flag with the most votes wins. Sounds fair to me."

The redhead nodded. "You just watch, I'll make the best flag yet. Muahah..."

0-0

"It's very..."

"... Yeah."

"It's different."

"I like it!"

"The hell? Are we air pirates or porn stars?" Aika's flag, unlike the other two, had a maroon-red background, and several golden coins along the borders. In the inside was a very beautiful redheaded woman, completely naked, but covered by long swords and more gold, of which there was a mountain in the background. Her only article of clothing was a small bandanna, which had a blue skull on it. She was winking flirtatiously. The banner was on display in the mess hall, beside Vyse and Aika's designs, and the entire crew were assembled and seated, discussing the three options.

"Aika, did you have to be so..." Vyse lost his words. "Urg. Whatever. In a strange way it does pretty much show what pirates are all about. Maybe it'll distract Alfonso next time we fight him so we can win again."

"It's very intricate," Fina said, intentionally looking anywhere but towards Aika's flag. Cupil made a long noise of disapproval, hovering over her shoulder.

"Alright, alright," David spoke up, stepping forward onto a small platform. "I'm not sure how many of you vagabonds have got your letters yet, so we'll vote orally. If you want to see Vyse's flag as our official banner, raise your hands." Khazim and his men, Luke, Vyse, and Osman all raised their hands, looking around. "Alright... that's one, two, three, four, five, seven... oh wait, Osman is only one person... six people for Vyse's design. Fina's flag?" Belle and her gunners raised their hands, as did Polly and Rodgers, and with some coaxing, a very timid Fina also raised her hand to support herself. Doc, Maria, and Pinata raised their hands, as did the ailing Enrique from a corner seat. "That's more than Vyse's. Aika's... unique flag?" Only Aika and Marco raised their hands, and received molten glares from all the women besides Fina.

"We have a winner. It's Fina's flag." David nodded. "Congratulations, then. We'll get a bigger copy of this fabricated and hung up on the bridge, and we'll also carve it into the sides of the ship when we get the _Delphinus_ retrofitted. I'm quite sure they'll quiver in terror at the sight of our standard." He looked out the window. "Oh, look. We're approaching Crescent Isle, everyone."

The crew, having just eaten a generous lunch, had been sailing for a few hours when they finally reached the abandoned isle. It took about half as long as Vyse remembered a regular sailboat fording the distance, and their armor and speed had prevented a single monster from boarding them successfully. Everything had gone well.

Hovering off the island, Vyse told his crew to stay behind, taking Aika, Fina and Enrique on the _Sacres_ and heading out. They docked at the peak of one side of the island's crescent,the hilltop where the remains of his beacon still sat, anchoring the wooden ship to the ground and debarking. Aika looked over to Enrique, who was nearly on his knees and looked positively terrible. "Heh. Glad to be on land, huh? What's the matter, is all this too rough for our beloved prince?"

"I fear you're right," Enrique groaned, coughing weakly into his gloved hand. "This is radically harder than my sheltered life in the Valuan Palace... I never imagined that sailing would be so rough... ugh..."

"Are you going to be ok?" Fina asked, leaning over to him concernedly.

"Eventually," The miserable royal rebel replied, groaning some more and going over to the edge of the island, bowing down and dry-heaving. "Ugh... somebody please toss me over... even Deep Sky would be preferable to this... the horror... oh..."

The air pirates looked over at several more approaching ships. Landing next to them were five skiffs full of engineers and supplies. Their leader stepped over to Vyse. "I'm Captain Cetrik of the Nasr Corps Of Engineers," He said. "Me and my men will help you establish your base, Captain Vyse."

"Heh. Looks like you've all been doing pretty good since we parted ways." Everyone turned at the very familiar, sly voice, and saw Gilder walking up the hillside towards them. He was wearing a teal variant of his regular jacket, but otherwise looked similar to how they had seen him last. "Good to see all of you again."

"Gilder!" Aika smiled. "Heya! We got hung up in a few things. You know, wars, homecomings, that sort of stuff. What've you been up to?"

"Clara," The pirate replied in a disgusted tone, his usual tone when discussing Clara-related matters. "She's always tenacious in the pursuit, and I'd rather be chased by Ramirez and his entire fleet than that stalker-woman... yeesh. I'm just not ready for her eternal love yet, especially since it'll probably lead me to eternity..."

"Took you long enough." Vyse looked over at the unfamiliar, aged voice, and found two old men walking up the other side of the hill towards them. One of them was a tall and wiry man with a long gray beard and intelligent eyes which scanned over everybody. "We've been waiting a while now, me and Izmael." Izmael was a short and stocky dwarf-like man with a tool belt slung across his chest and a nail suspended between his teeth.

"These are the guys who you're all going to learn to love over the next week," Gilder announced. "Meet Brabham, the best engineer in history. Period."

"Howdy," The taller old man said with a chuckle, idly stroking his beard. "Pleasure to finally meetcha, Cap'n Vyse. Gilder's told me all about you, and I heard some stuff from others, too. That's a mighty fine ship you got. If you'll let me, I'd love to work on it... tune it up... fit some more armor... general upgrades! It'll be the best in the world when I'm done with it."

"I'm Izmael. Ba-bam," He declared, spinning around confidently. "Carpenter and engineer m'self. Need something built? I'll build it. Don't need nothing built? Why, I'll build it anyway."

"I've called in some favors with them. Brabham is going to finish the work on the _Delphinus_, including hull reinforcement to crush through reefs and engine enhancement for speed boosts and so you can ford sky rifts, just like a Spectre." The old man nodded happily, looking positively overjoyed to be working on such an advanced piece of technology. "Izmael's going to build your base and port."

"That's right," The dwarf nodded. "It'll be a work of art when I'm done, let me tell ya. Hm... before I get started, I'm going to need some funds to cover labor and supplies. Ba-bam! I think about 75,000 ought to do it! What a bargain for a home base!"

"And for the retrofit to the ship, it'll set you back 25,000," Brabham chuckled. "Ship parts ain't cheap, and I need to hire on professional shipwrights to help me with the work."

"So in total..." Vyse blinked. "100,000 gold?" The figure was a staggering amount, and almost beyond comprehension for the young pirate captain who had grown up amongst a very modest home town and surroundings. "Dang."

Gilder smirked. "Well, it might look big, but I think we can whack it down some. The _Delphinus_ has a bunch of royal items, like that carpet on the bridge, that will fetch a few thousand a piece, especially on a Nasrian imports market... I know a guy named Ulric, he's a great merchant and an excellent fence. Just leave the items with me and I'll cover... say 15,000."

"Alright," Aika nodded. "That's a little bit off... I wonder how much we have ourselves. Enrique, is there any like stored treasure onboard the ship? I looked all over but I might have missed something."

"Yes..." The prince groaned weakly, "There are some monies stored onboard... 30,000 in gold coin, from my personal account... it's all that I have, now that the Armada's frozen my other assets. You can... ugh... have it all... oh, Moons..."

"So that's 45,000 off," Gilder sighed. He thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers in inspiration. "Hey, Vyse, Admiral Karzhai's thankful to you, right? And he's pretty much the de facto Nasultan until a new one is chosen, right? Which means he's responsible for Nasr's coffers... I'm sure a nation so grateful wouldn't mind funding a little project, huh?" He smirked, then turned to Captain Cetrik. "Send a message out to Karzhai for 65,000 in Arcadian gold. Please."

Aika giggled. "Oh, I'm sure the Admiral's gonna love that. Well, he can afford it better than us, at least. Ok... so we have the expenses covered, so the work can begin."

"Right." Brabham nodded. "Bring the _Delphinus_ to the island, and get me two teams of engineers and plenty of supplies. I think the modifications should only take about a week or so. Heh, looks like you're stranded again on this island, Vyse."

"I can use the Nasrian Engineers' stuff and get workin' today as well," Izmael announced. "I'll clear out a campsite for you all to use while we work on the living quarters and dock first. It'll take a while to make a good base, so I think you should fix your ship up first, and then go on whatever adventure you're all on, and when you get back next time I should have the basics ready to go. Ba-bam! Time to get serious..."

0-0

The first day, Brabham began laying the additional armor frame onto the ship, with most of the Blue Rogues and Nasr engineers to help him, while Izmael set out to begin clearing out the forest. For several long hours they toiled, until the sun began to set, and the two old men both called it a day. Gilder stayed with them to help, and the large group of pirates and engineers were all around a large bonfire in the center of the island, where Polly and Brabham were cooking their food.

Vyse smirked as he bit into his food, watching Enrique simply devour his fare. "Once you're on solid land that emptied belly really gets to you, huh? I guess it must be too harsh out here in the wilderness areas for you, my Liege."

"Hey," The blonde protested, blushing slightly. "It's not very funny, you know. I couldn't even help my friends in battle because I was dieing on the deck."

"Right..." Aika looked around. "Hey, where'd Fina go?" The timid Silvite girl was nowhere in sight in the dark night enveloping the formerly abandoned floating island.

"No clue." Vyse said. "You think something's wrong?"

"There she is, on the hilltop." Next to the demolished beacon stood a single humanoid figure, framed by the distant and faint silver moon that cast an odd gleam onto her. "C'mon, let's go talk to her, guys." Enrique and Vyse followed the redhead, silently slipping out of the big group and making their way up the hill. Their footsteps crunched against the basic layer of gravel that had been paved out as a path by Izmael, and she easily heard them coming, turning around to look back. "Yo," She said when in talking distance.

"Enrique, Aika, Vyse..." She paused. "What is it?"

"That's what we were going to ask you," Enrique said, standing up more or less fine now that he had had a few hours of time to recover on solid ground. The prince smiled. "You just vanished on us, Fina, and were not joining in the festivities down there with us."

"I'm sorry," Fina said quietly, looking away. "I just..."

"Just what, Fina?" Vyse took a step closer to her in concern. "You can talk with us, we're all your friends here."

"Yeah." Gilder walked up the path behind them. "Heh, I guess I really count as a friend too, so I thought I'd tag along. I could tell something was bothering you, but I didn't want to broach the subject in public in case it was something you don't want public. Spill the beans, Fina, you can't resist our attack."

Fina smiled faintly. "Thank you for your concern, everyone. I was just thinking..." She looked back at the very distant trace of the Silver Moon in the night sky. "Thinking about Ramirez."

"Ramirez?" Enrique echoed. "As in, the Armada Admiral Ramirez?"

"Apparently that's the one," The Silvite shook her head. "Ramirez, he..." She trailed off again, worry lacing her voice.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Vyse said mildly. "It's ok. We know you have a hard time coming out with stuff like this."

"No, I think it's time I gave you all the whole truth about the story. It's the least you deserve for all that you've done for me." She took a deep breath, and then began her story. "You all know that I am a descendant of the ancient Silver Civilization. Well, Ramirez is also a Silvite. He was the best warrior we had ever seen... he could channel his lunar power into his blade, making it sharp enough to cut through light itself and achieve speeds unthinkable for a regular human.

We grew up together in the Great Silver Shrine... he was my childhood friend, and my only human companionship besides the watchful and sage Elders. Such a noble and honest soul... he was nothing like the cold and heartless man who sacked Nasrad. He used to care for me like I was his younger sister...

When we heard that the Valuans were trying to bring the Gigas back, Ramirez volunteered to go down to Arcadia and stop them. He went on a quest to find the six Moon Crystals, as I have been tasked to do... I offered to come with him, but he insisted on going alone. Shortly after he started the mission, we lost all contact with him. We'd never dreamed he would join the Valuan Empire... the very people the Elders had sent him to stop.

I don't know why he changed." Fina's emotional voice touched a nerve in each of their hearts, listening to her story and seeing the anguish written across her beautiful and gentle features. "I hope that the Ramirez that I knew isn't gone... forever..."

"Admiral Ramirez..." Enrique steeled himself, contributing his own knowledge on the subject at hand. "The Armada's greatest personal fighter and a fearless tactician. He used to be Lord Galcian's Vice Captain until he received his own task fleet, but I don't even think Galcian knew Ramirez's true past."

"Fina..." Aika's words faltered.

"Fina, I'm sure we'll find out what happened to Ramirez." The indomitable confidence which was quickly becoming his hallmark flowed out from Vyse and he grinned at her. "What's important now is that we gotta keep pushing forward. Don't ever forget that." She looked over at him, listening.

"Don't give up, Fina," Gilder counseled, putting his gloved hand on her delicate shoulder. "We're all here with you now."

"Yeah," Aika agreed enthusiastically. "You're one of our friends, and Blue Rogues never leave a man, or a woman, behind." Enrique nodded in a silent agreement.

"Everyone..." Fina smiled slightly, and Cupil chirped several times. "When I came to Arcadia, I was so alone, and had no friends or allies... now I have so many wonderful people to support and help me, even to love me... thank you so much." She reached up and gently wiped burgeoning tears from her eyes. "I... I will do my best. You can all count on me."

"Alright." Vyse nodded. "Once Brabham finishes retrofitting the ship, we can start looking for the other Crystals, finally. Until then we'll work to the point of exhaustion and maybe enjoy ourselves a little at our new home. And Gilder has to help, too." The roguish rogue frowned slightly. "And no more, or very little, lesbian sex." Aika glowered.

"You take all the fun out of everything," The redhead pouted while Fina turned a little bit red. "Oh, Enrique, do you think you can get up on time tomorrow without any servants to come wake you up? Heh."

"Hey," The prince indignantly replied without thought, "I always get up on my own. I don't need any servants, you know." He smirked slightly. "I save the servants for dressing and feeding me."

Gilder laughed. "Oh, boy, we're giving him a sense of humor already. This is cause for hope. Come on, everyone, let's join the others. There's a barrel of loqua down there with my name on it... literally.. I have all my drinks stamped so others don't accidentally drink any."

"Man, if these Crystals had loqua or hot chicks in em, we would have found them already just from Gilder snooping around," Vyse noted. "Onwards, to food! To drunkenness! And this time, the nearest dancer's outfit is 4000 kilometers away."

"Nasrians have belly-dancers like 'Bellena' was," Aika reminded him succinctly, and the teenager paled quite a bit as he followed the group back down the hill.


	14. Under Cover of Night

Chapter Fourteen- Under Cover Of Night

**WARNING**- Heterosexual though it is, there be another lemon ahead. VysexAika fans may commence rejoicing, VysexFina fans should refrain from bricking me (much), please. So, yeah, you've officially had your warning. Feel free to drool and compliment as usual, of course.

Oh, also, I figure I might as well tell you why I been a little later. School's starting. Aaah Sophomore year. Sucks monkey fuck. What a shitty ass load of god-damned bullfuck... I digress. I'll be slower than usual for a while, at least. Ugh, sorry, but it's out of my hands mostly.

0-0

The large group was in full merriment on Crescent Island, the enormous central bonfire of the camp casing a blazing illumination across the seated men and women, their long shadows fusing into the blanketing darkness of the night. Large stockpiles of Loqua had been drawn out, and everyone enjoyed liberal amounts of the intoxicating liquid along with the massive feast prepared for them. For a time, they forgot their common struggle against Valua.

Unsurprisingly, Fina was one of the first to pass out, having been a severe teetotaler due to her lack of knowledge of loqua for the vast majority of her life. She slumped against one of the makeshift tents, and Vyse gently picked her up, laying her on one of the sleeping-bags rolled out in an enormous circle around the camp. He smiled, watching the rosy tint of her peaceful and beautiful pale features, then stood up and returned outside.

A group of Nasr engineers passed him idly, off to the remainder of the island's forested area for some purpose or another that he wasn't interested in. Seeking through the crowds of shadowed people, he moved around and exchanged remarks with several of his friends. "This Green Loqua's a fine drink," Gilder declared. "Vintage, too. Those Ixa'takans really know how to make some loqua, even if their ships suck."

Belle giggled, sitting right next to Gilder along with her two friends. Vyse cocked an eyebrow and opened his mouth to issue a warning but he held up his gloved hand before he could start. "Don't worry, I'm well aware they aren't even half of age yet. I can control myself." Vyse didn't stop staring. "What? I swear! On my honor!" Another long pause. "... Just go. Let me enjoy my drunken revelries." Vyse grinned and departed.

He found Aika, sitting alone next to a large bottle of fiery red loqua, most of her expression shrouded by the odd angle with which the warm illumination struck her. "Hey," She greeted him quietly as he took a seat next to her on the ground.

"Hey," Vyse replied. "Fina's already down, I put her in her bag for the night... I hope she doesn't have too bad off a hangover tomorrow, heh." He paused. "How are you, Aika?"

"I'm fine," She said, turning to reveal her face and smiling at him. Her cheeks were slightly tinged red. "This Nasr loqua is really powerful stuff, I think this is what they put in their cannons... but I can handle it. I'm tough." She chuckled slightly. "So, Mr. Bigshot Captain Vyse, we finally have our own base, a crew of skilled people... it's amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah. We're so young, too." Vyse grabbed the bottle and took a small swig. The liquid burned his throat like a Pyri spell, and he coughed and sputtered. "Moons Alive," He gasped. "Damn!"

"Told you so." The redhead giggled. They talked for a while more, Vyse managing to down a shot or two of the Red Loqua in the course of an hour as they watched various people shift around in front of them and casing them into darkness for moments. Rushes of warm heat flooded him and he felt more relaxed each minute, and he didn't really notice how Aika seemed to get a little closer every once in a while.

She was right next to him, talking in a hushed voice. "Vyse?" He glanced over to her from the side of his eye, feeling her warm breath against his cheek, and grunted slightly. "Would it be ok if I... just sorta kissed you a little?"

It was a moment that seemed utterly frozen in time, and she waited with understandable apprehension for his reaction. He said nothing for several moments, then turned to face her and said, "That would be... ok with me." The sincerity in the teenage pirate's tone left her with no doubt in her only slightly muddled mind.

Since they were already close, it took no great movement to slide her lips over his. The unique taste that had been the subject of her curiosity for years was hers again, and she soon began to deepen the kiss, leaning in further to him. Reacting in surprise, he slowly warmed up to it, wrapping their arms around each other and being absorbed more and more. She found herself forgetting to breathe, and only the greatest reluctance and burning lungs forced their parting.

They were both panting quietly, although Vyse was doing so out of more excitement and anticipation. He tried to calm himself down. "Aika..." He didn't have the words. Suddenly he blinked and looked away in alarm.

"What is it?" The redhead asked in concern. "Wasn't that... good?"

"You're drunk," Vyse said quietly. He refused to face her eyes, even as she pulled herself closer again and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I know where this is going... you're drunk, Aika, you're not yourself."

"I'm not drunk, I can handle twice this loqua with no problem and you know it." Aika frowned at him. "I think _you're_ the one who's not really yourself right now. Vyse... what's really wrong? Don't shy away like this, please, I know how you feel about me... You know how I feel about you... please..."

"I don't... know..." He sighed, beginning to relax into her warmth from the chilling night air. "Aika... what if we're not ready?"

"Vyse, trust me, I am ready," She practically purred into his ear, that simple statement sending a shiver of desire through him. "You want this as badly as I do... just give in to your feelings, Vyse, your true feelings. I promise everything will be alright." An unusual amount of affection and concern entered her voice that deeply touched him.

The lingering elements of his uncertainty tenaciously continued to cling to his mind. "Aika, you're already with Fina, I couldn't just take you away-"

"You're thinking like I can only love a single person," She chided him. "She loves you as I do, and the three of us are a perfectly affectionate relationship, no? You're not taking anything away, but adding yourself into the equation. You don't know how long I've thought about this moment, all of those years... there is absolutely nothing to stop us now, and you know that."

"I-" Vyse attempted another protest, but his childhood companion and object of affection had grown exasperated with his lack of resolution and certainty, and saw that she had to seize hold of this opportunity as fast as she possibly could. When agitated, Aika became very direct, and she did so at that moment.

"Shut up and kiss me right now, Vyse Dyne." Aika ended the conversation, and prodded into action, he did just what she wanted and needed for him to do. This time his fiery lips took hold over her own, both of the hormonal teenagers getting fully into it. Soon, tongues came into play, the urgent explorations deferred for years finally happening. They pressed into each other, and hands traced down their bodies, Vyse's following the alluring curve of the redhead's figure and Aika's caressing his lean muscle.

Even though she was a usually dominant type, she had no problem finding herself on her back, Vyse laying over her and continuing the lustful kisses. She moaned as she felt a throbbing hard object press against her lower stomach. For a moment they paused from their session, gasping for chilled breaths, their body heat puffing clouds of air between them. "_Fuck_," Vyse said vehemently. "Aika... you're so damn hot... I've felt this way for so long but never told anyone about it..."

"Same," The redhead managed, winking at him. "Why stop now, though? Just when things are getting hard, heh." A mischievous gloved hand reached over and gave the bulge in his trousers a gentle squeeze, which only made it grow more.

"Well... I don't have a..." He paused, blushing, although his face was already quite flustered and it was impossible to tell in the low light. "Condom, Aika. I wasn't expecting... this, so fast." Aika reached into one of her pouches and retrieved out a small ruby-red square package. He blinked, and then grinned widely down at her. "You planned this out, huh?"

"I don't hear any complaining," She kissed him again, her hands busy at work taking off the buttons of Vyse's sailor tunic. When it opened up to reveal his muscled abdomen and chest, she tossed it aside, breaking the lip lock. A playful expression flashed across her face as she licked her lips, studying his body with great interest. "You're pretty fine yourself, you know. Very yummy."

"Thanks," Vyse replied, easily pulling off his belt and letting the leather strip fall from him to the ground. "Aika... I'm still a virgin, and I don't know much about how to do this." His boots had long-since been kicked off, and the troublesome and very tight pants followed, leaving him clad only in a pair of simple brown boxers that bulged out enormously in the middle.

"It's all pretty natural," She assured him, reaching up and nipping him several times on the tender flesh of his neck, making him shiver with the movements of her warm mouth. "Frankly, I'm almost a virgin, I've only had sex once before as you know, and Fina never popped my cherry." She chuckled. "I did that myself three years ago, but nobody ever knew. I was... thinking about you, you know."

"How lonely we've been together," He said, reaching over and pulling her own belt off. Her suckling at his neck felt extremely good, and the image of Aika masturbating only increased his pent-up feelings of lust. He barely resisted the urge to just cut off their clothing to ribbons and fuck her like an animal. "Uh... Aika... that's making it really fuckin' hard to think... how do you get your dress... off..." It was like no other piece of clothing he'd ever seen in his life, and his shaking hands couldn't find any way to remove the sleek material.

Aika's mouth reluctantly left his skin for a brief time, and she said, "Hang on, I'll get it..." Finding the clasps to either side of her toned waist, she opened the dress and shook herself, dislodging the tight clothing and making it fall away from her. Vyse's eyes feasted upon her bare beauty framed by the light of the bonfire, clad only across her ample breasts by a bra and her tight black short-shorts. Suddenly she stopped. "Vyse?"

"Hm?" Vyse replied, still holding himself over her.

"We should really think about relocating this..." They had luckily not been noticed by any of their companions, Aika having had the foresight to pick out a sparsely-populated area far enough from the bonfire. Knowing that there were her friends and comrades around while she was snogging her long-time love was certainly turning her on, but enough of her rational brain remained to tell her that being discovered like this in public would be a bad, bad thing. It was still rather surprising nobody had noticed them yet.

"I agree," He breathed. "Gather up our clothes and shit." She quickly did, while he waited with an extraordinary patience considering his arousal. Being as stealthy as possible, they stole off into the forest, loosing themselves in the night and seeking out the sheer rock wall that marked the limit of Crescent Island. They were now in almost pitch-black night, with only the faintest of glows from the Red Moon overhead to vaguely reveal their forms. Aika dumped the clothing and items onto the grass, turning back towards him.

He walked forward, wrapping his arms eagerly around her and once again enveloping her in a series of fiery kisses that vanquished all traces of the cool night from her body, and in it's place planted a familiar, hungering heat deep inside of the air pirate.

The last vestiges of a forgotten modesty, their undergarments, would pose a serious barrier to their efforts. She resolved to rid him of the brown cloth and try something out that she'd heard once. She put her hands on his hips, breaking the kiss in order to smoothly pull his boxers down and reveal his fully erect penis. The engorged organ looked very big to her close perspective, and she looked up at him in appreciation.

The package easily came apart under her grip, and she took the Nasr-made contraceptive tool, sliding it over his shaft. The friction this created sent pulses of great sensation through his spine, each small touch of hers anywhere close to the bundle of nerves setting off lightning waves inside his body. Through the fog of his mind he skeptically eyed the transparent wrapper over his cock. "... this little thing is going to stop us from having a baby?"

"According to the shop," Aika chirped. "'Parently Nasrian culture's a little more sane about sex- when they do have it they have it right. Hey, at least I didn't get the moonstone-enchanted variety! ... I think." She giggled, slowly standing up again. "Now, there's only one more thing to attend..."

The clasp of her bra seemed to easily relent and her large mounds of flesh were soon free from their satin prison. While she was doing that, Vyse had leaned over and slid her shorts down the girl's curvaceous hips. She wore no panties, another indicator of her design, and now they were both utterly naked. Taking the initiative immediately, he reached out with his tongue and curiously flicked her nipple, which was very close to his face.

Something between a gasp and moan elicited itself from her lips as she reacted to the sensation, so familiar from another time under the Red Moon. A reaction of that sort naturally egged him on, and he began experimenting to see how much his tongue could do. Poking, swiping, and flicking against her sensitive skin, he made fire and ice run across her mind.

Unable to keep standing, she knelt down, and he gently helped her lie across the soft and inviting soil, continuing his pleasurable assault against her mind. His hands began to work as well, mapping by texture every part of her alluring anatomy and giving several instinctive, well-placed massages to her skin. She quickly allowed herself to be lost in the sea of sensation, relaxing only to tense up and moan every once in a while.

Bringing such effects to his childhood friend felt amazing for him, but each taste of her flesh brought into sharper focus his own need- an all-devouring lust that was slowly consuming him, the discomfort between his hips only growing as his arousal seemed to. He grunted, bringing himself over her once again and mounting the girl. He aligned his body over her in the most traditional of sexual positions, known as the Clerical (ironic enough, considering it's rather worldly application), in which he basically just laid across her, their hips meeting.

"Oh, Moons..." Aika moaned, feeling his prick against her inner thigh, throbbing in tune with his racing heartbeat and making the redhead squirm. _So long... I've waited so fuckin' long for this... Vyse..._

"Aika..." He gently, agonizingly slowly, probed for entrance to her most private spot. She greedily spread out her legs to the best of her flexible ability, and he began to push in. She cried out as his penis entered her, feeling it inch it's way in and begin to stretch out the warm and tight confines. He grunted and huffed, pulling out and thrusting in slightly faster this time. He buried himself inside of her all of the way, holding her as she thrashed in ecstasy. "I love you," He said breathlessly.

Then he started, gaining speed and friction and pleasure with each second. Soon they both lost all control, their hips grinding against each other with all of their power as their lungs cried out, pleasurable noises intermingling in the darkness. The condom did little to abate the overwhelming sensations in his cock each time he entered his childhood friend, and he was reaching a considerable speed, pounding into her.

The tempo was an aggressive, passionate speed, and they spared nothing as Vyse pushed both of their minds into a foggy abyss driven by animal lust and added on by the floods of emotions from both of the air pirates. Pumping on and on, he used his admirable physical conditioning to keep up the pace.

From the several times he himself had experimented in the past, he recognized the building sense in his groin, and braced himself. All too soon, he exploded into orgasm in the same instant as she did, and he collapsed onto her, both of their minds utterly blank for entire minutes as they cried out. Breathing shallowly, he eventually began to recover, looking over at the nearby half-lidded face of Aika. He tried to speak. "Uh... damn..."

"Aren't we glad Aika chose the activities?" The redhead smiled in bliss, enjoying the heat of his body covering her like a blanket from the unwelcome intrusions of the cold night, even though her own heat was off any scale.

"Yes," He candidly admitted to her, giving her one last, tender kiss. "I love you. That's something I should have said a million times by now. No more drama, no more shit." He paused. "Fina can stay. Heh heh." Aika shared with him a lecherous smile. "Someone prolly heard that," He pondered. "And in the morning somebody's gonna discover us... I'm almost too tired to care at this point."

"We should probably... avoid that." Aika sighed. "Hey, hero, you spent two lonely weeks on this damn rock, know any good hiding places the others ain't found yet?"

"I can only think of one." Vyse smirked in the dark. _Gonzales, you're going to do me another turn of fortune in death. I can use the cave he set up as his home_. "There's a tunnel system running throughout the island. I know a place we can hide. Ugh." He slowly got to his feet, unsteadily removing the flooded condom from his expended dick. "What the hell should we do with this?"

"Toss it into Deep Sky." She replied, sighing. "I'm serious. The edge of the island's only about twenty meters away... hey, think you can carry me, Vyse?" She was only half-joking, most of her energy thoroughly used up by their exercise routine.

"Hang on." He shambled over to the chilly edge of the island, looking out onto the darkened clouds of Deep Sky and tossing out the small piece of rubber. It descended, quickly out of sight, and he turned, returning to her and swooping her up and into his arms with a single movement. He chuckled, looking around for the opening to the cave in question.

Aika giggled. "Wow. You really are strong. Alright, take me away!" He did, heading down the sheer rock-face and quickly locating the break in the wall. After passing through a few vacant halls of large stone they arrived at the room that Vyse had used for the better part of his time as a shipwreck. She looked around. "Is this the den for that Gonzales guy who had the other piece of the map, Vyse?" He nodded. "Wow. It's certainly... got a homey feel to it." She eyed the straw bed. "That thing comfortable?"

"Real comfortable," He assured her, setting her down and climbing into the bed next to her, their clothes piled up on one of the makeshift tables dotting the cavern. "Sleep now," He commanded. "Ugh... we're going to need every bit of energy for the work tomorrow..."

"No rest for the wicked." Aika rolled over to face him, snuggling the other teenager and quickly allowing fatigue to claim the wreckage of her mind into the calming blackness of sleep. The last thought that crossed through her fading thoughts was, unsurprisingly, a long and victorious 'yes' with about 50 s's added on for effect. Vyse's thoughts were roughly, also, on a similar track.

Ignorant to the goings-on of his friends, Gilder looked out upon the campsite and sighed. Many people were now sleeping, passed-out, drunk, or some combination of such, although his mind was still sharp and clear. Belle was restfully snuggling the teal sleeve of his jacket, which he found cute but not in any way alluring. He might have been a rogue but he still had his own code of honor, and she was just a little too young for his type.

Using skillful dexterity and grace, he removed himself from her grasp, getting to his feet and brushing himself off. _Well, Clara loves night raids, and the last time I woke up with her in my bed... I feared the worst. Luckily she had just been watching me all night as I slept... yeah. I better keep moving. I'll leave a note for them, but it's best if I avoid the long goodbyes._

_Damn... I really wanted to fall off the edge of the world sometime, too. Oh, well. Priorities first._


	15. Postlude & Impossible

Chapter Fifteen- Postlude/Impossible

Well! Looks like _Where Loyalties Lie_ is now officially complete. We're halfway through the story, folks, and forgive me for the 'finish the fight'-ish cliffhanger at the end. Heh. I honestly hoped you enjoyed reading this latest installment, it's been a joy to write, and all your support has been overwhelming.

Hugs, kisses, and Gilder plushies to my reviewers: Desert Lynx, Arcon1, Lord Elecian, majinbuu7985, Traiden, Valglory, SoraHyrin58203, Hondo-Okami, and Greki, who has reviewed nearly every chapter I've written in the entire fucking series, and therefore gets a Clara plushie as well. Everyone, remember... Comments support, support faster updates - I would never be so base childish as to demand a review quota before I update, but I really love them reviews nonetheless.

Well, I hope you have me author-alerted to get the next book: _Skies of Arcadia Legends: A World Unending_, wherein the crew visits the lands under the blue and purple moons, Piastol learns a secret, and dark forces begin to stir... until then!

0-0

The rumbling of cannon-fire shook the sandy, arid ground of the desert continent. The skies above were fill of the puffs of explosions, as two forces dueled for supremacy at the lower end of Nasr. Rusty-red Nasrian frigates were trading explosive volleys with a squadron of prototype Valuan _Auriga_-class Defender Cruisers. Their flagship, _HMS Auriga_ itself, watched from a safe distance, the hulking Admiral Gregorio observing from the bridge of his flying fortress.

Another of the foreign airships suddenly burst into flames, shaking in the air as shattered bits of armor plating fell limply to either side. Black cannons and unfortunate crewmen slid off the deck, also plummeting to the burning sands below them. The _Potencia de Fuego_'s main engines failed, and a minute after that it slid out of the sky, marking the fifth of it's kind to be eliminated by hostile fire.

It was akin to a slaughter. Gregorio shook his head and sighed. He had not been seeking engagement, but a task force of nine enemy frigates had appeared off the coast heading for his slower squadron and opened fire, leaving the old Valuan no choice at all. His enhanced Defenders were rendered almost impenetrable, even to the mighty Nasrian cannons of the Grenadiers, while the Valuan cannons rained down effective counter-fire and employed advanced defensive tactics.

Since the conquest of their capitol, the Nasrians had ratcheted all their aggressions against the Armada up by orders of magnitudes- occupation forces set up at Nasrad had been obliterated by their armed forces, and now they were actively patrolling their own skies again and hitting anything that looked Valuan. Such a valor in the face of total superiority was something he would admire, but not condone, were they not his enemy.

An impossibly lucky shot struck abeam of _Gatekeeper_, the Defender shaking slightly as smoke began to drift out from a molten hole in the armored form of the ship. He winced as he saw the Valuan ship turn to it's other side and continue the attack, ripping to steel shreds yet another enemy.

He sighed. _You fools, all of you are going to be destroyed in a matter of minutes... just run. I do not wish to prolong this engagement_... "Pull back the force and prepare to continue our course to Cape Victory, Vice Captain."

The young officer looked over at him, confused. "My Lord? We have crushed all but one of the enemy ships. It's fleeing, but it's already taken on significant damages, and I think we will be able to sink it before it can-"

"We are not here to conquer these forsaken sands, merely to recover our wayward sovereign. Continue the course at once." When Admiral Gregorio repeated his order, it was final. The Vice Captain nodded and turned back to hunch over the radio console he worked at, issuing the orders. The Defenders ponderously turned, reforming around the _Auriga_ and following the flagship's lead further south.

_Prince Enrique..._ Gregorio spared at look at the slowly reddening skies above them that housed smatterings of clouds. _I'm coming, to save you, if needs be, from yourself_.

0-0

This time, they crossed directly over the desert, their ship a fully air-conditioned and contained environment that made Vyse infinitely grateful for the Valuan prince's defection. He nodded to Lawrence and walked over to the viewport of the bridge, looking down on the deck, where Khazim and Belle had their crews out drilling and cleaning cartridges and shells. Marco was vainly attempting to repel the hordes of rippling sand from accumulating onto the steel floor. Enrique was still pathetically hunched over the railing, quivering. _Poor bastard_.

After a week of constant work, Brabham had declared the _Delphinus_ was now operating at a hundred percent of it's original capacity. Bulkier armor plating covered every section, the engines now commanded almost twice their previous impressive rate of speed through the skies of Arcadia, and the royal purple stripe had been replaced by one of ocean-blue. The fins and sides received a similar treatment, along with a noble engraving of Fina's banner.

Vyse couldn't say he was honestly surprised by Gilder's disappearance- the clever man seemed to have a problem with staying in any one condition for too long, even one so 'fun'. He sighed. _Still a damn shame to loose a pirate of his quality.._. _I wonder how much longer it will take. We've been over Nasr for a good number of hours now._

"Ship sighted," The talking-tube declared in the voice of Aika, who was taking the current watch up on the high tower-cone position above the bridge that afforded the ship's lookout a view for kilometers around the ship in all directions. "Hey, Vyse, looks like a Nasr boat... it's damaged, too. Coming straight for us."

Vyse blinked. "One one damaged boat? What's up?" He walked over to the radio and tuned it towards the standard naval frequency for the air force of the Red continent. "This is the _Delphinus_ to Nasr warship. What is your status? Do you require assistance? Over."

Several seconds of silence over the line were disrupted by the gruff voice of a man, speaking in an accent. "_This is_ Espada Roja _to_ Delphinus. _Our ship has taken damage but we're still moving under our own power. Our squadron engaged a number of unknown Valuan ships. Their defenses were like nothing we've ever seen, our fire had very little effect at all on the enemy. They simply wiped us out of the sky. We are the only survivors. We must return to our base at once and radio Command about this development._"

"Understood, _Espada Roja_. We're headed for the port of Esperanza... if Admiral Karzhai can send any information about this unknown ship type, have him do so at once."

_"Esperanza? I don't know why... most people steer clear of the entire Cape Victory area. There's nothing for it... either way, good luck on your quest, Sir Vyse."_ The way Vyse was bestowed knightly titles just for saving their nation's capitol from tyranny still made the teenager a little bit uneasy, but he did not object totally.

He looked over to Lawrence, shutting off the radio. "Lawrence, let's adjust our course so we run over the middle of land as long as possible. Sounds like that Valuan force is still around, and I don't want to look for trouble we don't need right now."

"We'll avoid the coast until we have to pass the Cape's mountain covers," The helmsman replied. "I'll get on it, Captain. We're about an hour or two out from the edge of the Continent, by the way."

The door creaked open with it's metal hinges, and Vyse saw David emerge into the bridge. "Captain Vyse," The Vice Captain said, "What's the story with that damaged frigate?" The two ships passed each other through the air, the smoking older rust-red Nasr ship headed back north while the pristine royal flagship continued their southerly course.

"They got knocked around by some new Valuan squadron of unknown ships," Vyse replied. "We're going to take the shortest possible route to Cape Victory and try to avoid that. Normally I'm all for a good fight but we can't get caught up here any more." _We're already slow enough getting back on track as it is_.

David sighed. "I suppose that's best... I already miss Gilder. The guy's too antsy for his own good... or the good of anyone else, for that matter. Either way, he told me everything he learned about Esperanza through various channels, and I figure I better give you the full briefing before we dock there." He walked over to the maps table and swept his hand over the one showing the west side of Nasr, bordered by the enormous black lines of the Dark Rift.

"As you know, the Dark Rift is the effective border to all travel. Any ship even approaching the storm is ripped asunder, with no exception at all. Impossible. Fina claims that there are more lands on the other side of this rift... conventional thought says that even if we survive the trip, we'd just fall off the side of the world.

Near the tip of Nasr, the Cape Victory which is our current destination, invading Valuan forces discovered not only a handy place to put a base to beachhead the southern part of the continent, but also a strange formation in the rift. It looked like an aperture, and decoy tests proved the ship could safely enter the first layer of the storm before it was lost. Shock waves filled the Empire, news spread, and thousands of crews from all over the world came to the base. Eventually the Valuans withdrew from Esperanza Base, but the natives kept calling it that, and now it's a city for sailors.

The City of Hope's long past any golden age it had. Rust, decay, are in the city's walls, their boats, their buildings. Nobody cleans it up, nobody repairs anything, the people just rot away like their city around them. They've lost their hope. After so many people died trying to ford the Dark Rift... eventually, everyone just stopped trying. Their dreams smashed, the survivors all congregated, and now they live out their lives, only waiting for it to all end.

Not a pleasant place at all. Getting any help from the people there is going to be a real challenge- most of them will meet our mission with nothing but ridicule. However, if anyone is likely to have the slightest clues to help us, it will be there." David shook his head. "It's very different than any place you've been, so be prepared for it."

"OK." Vyse nodded, with his charismatic smirk. "Thanks for the info, David."

"That's what I'm here for." He shrugged, his expansive red tunic and cloak flapping around him in the controlled climate of the bridge. "So, I guess now all we do is wait until we get there."

As they made their way further down, the skies began to take on a reddish hue which only increased over time. Vyse blinked. "What's going on? It can't quite be sundown yet."

"Every time is sundown for this region," Lawrence replied stoically. "Effects of the Dark Rift. The skies are always like this." The sandy ground under them began to climb drastically, and they looked out of the bridge's view ports right up at a cliff. The _Delphinus_ definitely did not have the ceiling to make it over the peaks of the jagged mountains, and so the pilot turned them and started a course parallel to the solid rock face.

Hugging the edge of the cliff, they slid out into open sky and turned, following the curve of Cape Victory. Vyse slipped out from the bridge, headed up for the crow's nest tower. Climbing a long steel shaft with a solid ladder, he emerged from a trap-door onto the large rectangular platform mounted on the fin above the bridge. Looking around, he was slightly surprised to see both Fina and Aika.

The girls were gently embracing, looking up at the foreboding bloodied skies and the passing formations of desert rock in silence. Alerted to his presence by the creaking of the hatch, Aika looked back to him. "Hey," She called out quietly.

"Hey," He replied with a smile. "So that's where you two were. According to our maps we should be seeing the city any minute now. Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not," Fina nodded, smiling at him. Even now her gentle affection made his stomach pleasantly flip around as if in a ship battle, and he walked over, joining the two girls. "Esperanza... it means 'hope' in Nasrian. I wonder why the Valuans would name their city after an enemy's language."

"Who knows." Aika shrugged. "All Valuans are bat-shit, I figure." She cast a glance down to the speck of Enrique down on the deck. "Well, there's one good one, I suppose... one or two, if you count that little red-headed boy. Poor Enrique. He really hasn't been looking too good... for a few weeks now."

"It'll pass," Vyse assured her. "Remember, I was airsick for over a month before I finally got my 'legs'." He winced at the very unpleasant memories, but Aika giggled. "Besides, we can stay a while on land to let him recover a bit. I doubt even a successful trip through the Dark Rift is going to be a fun ride."

Bypassing a particularly large rock outcropping that formed a natural harbor area, they spotted a distant speck of metal, which could be nothing but the cliff-mounted city. Aika leaned over to the talking-tube and opened a valve, allowing the air through. "Hey, we just spotted the city," She announced.

"Come on," Vyse said, walking over to the hatch. "Let's take the _Sacres_ out, and leave the _Delphinus_ out of sight. A lot of ex-Valuans are here, and even if David's right one of them might be tempted by the huge bounty on the 'thieves' of this ship." He led them down into the airship's insides again, heading first up to the bridge, where several of the crew had gathered and more were entering.

David looked over. "Alright. We should keep this visit discreet and small." He looked over at Enrique, who was leaning on the map table for support. "I also think we should get him to land before he passes away on us. Vyse, Doc's boat is big enough for a few other crew to come with you, if you'd like."

"I think everyone but you ought to stay with the ship," Vyse said. "David, you're knowledgeable enough where we could use you down there with those veteran sailors. Lawrence, you're in command until I get back. If you spot those Valuans, get to the harbor and send word at once."

"You got it," The mercenary nodded.

Enrique groaned loudly. "Ugh... land... sounds rather nice about now. Let's... go." Fina worriedly went to his side, helping him walk down with Vyse, Aika and David to the lifeboat hanger, where they took command of the sailboat and unfurled the large sheets that flapped loosely in the still air of the bay.

The metal doors to either side opened up, admitting the light roar of the wind and a moderate breeze, which gave the sails new life. Vyse gripped the helm, glad to be back in direct control of a sailing ship. _Having a pilot's all well and good, but sometimes you just gotta do things the old fashioned way._ Turning on the ship's engine, he felt the familiar rumble under the deck and the fins around the long wooden hull began to flap, lifting them up off the electrical track.

They backed up slowly out of the stationary flagship, then turned and pointed for the distant city. "_Sacres_, full speed ahead," The teenager whooped, kicking the throttle into action. They soon noticed something entirely apart from their destination, out towards the direction of the band of swirling deadly black that noted the Dark Rift.

"Look at that..." Aika stared out at the enormous storm system. "That is way worse than any sky rift I've ever seen before... it looks like it could chew up the _Delphinus_ and spit it out." She looked over at Vyse, who was glowering at her. "... although I'm sure everything will be just fine," She finished lamely, chuckling in nervousness. A large vortex in the middle of the wall became visible, looking like an obvious entrance into the otherwise impregnable rift. As they drew nearer the city, their attentions reluctantly turned on the rusted hulk.

Esperanza certainly looked more like a fortification than a civilian city. The entire town was covered by tall metal walls, putting Vyse in mind of Nasrad, with out of repair turrets topped with cannons spread around like vigilant old sentries. A large set of metal docks supported by steel scaffolding and walkways were all but abandoned,and only a few dock segments were in a state to land at anyway. Few other ships laid anchor in either the open-air docks or the hangar facilities. It's central courtyard was dotted with buildings that looked like tin cans, which also spread out among the other armored sections of the city. A gatehouse on the other side of Esperanza led up to a small open pavilion where a crashed ship laid at rest.

Vyse smoothly brought them between two metal platforms in the harbor, and the girls helped David to secure lines out to the ground and lay the anchor, to keep the ship floating in it's position. Locking the controls, they grabbed their equipment and debarked.

"Thank the Moons..." Enrique knelt, literally kissing the dirty metal floor in pure thankfulness, still quivering from the horrifying effects of his airsickness.

"Not sure if that's very sanitary," Aika giggled. "Hey, at least you're doing the right thing, right?" She got no response but a few more groans. "Um... you want to just stay here a while, Enrique?"

"Yes," The blonde replied. "I'll join you...eventually, but for now... I just need to recover a bit..."

Fina looked worried for the prince. "I would like to stay with him and make sure we'll be alright," She said. "You three should go into town and see if you can find any information." Cupil chirped next to her, gently patting the lopsided purple beret still mounted atop the Valuan's well-groomed golden locks.

A few people were milling around the docks area, watching their ship come in. The dim blanket of apathy pervaded everyone's faces, and their physical appearances were certainly not regularly maintained. Man and woman alike just spared a few glances over to the air pirates before continuing on their way, not seeming to care at all. David stepped forward. "Excuse me," He said to a man in a partial Valuan pilots' suit. "Um... can you direct us to an Inn or Tavern?"

The pilot looked them over. "Visitors?" His voice was a little dry and crackly. "Alright. We've only got one Inn, it's right in the middle of town. However, we got about a dozen different taverns. Loqua is useful for making you forget... Leave quick. You'll be glad you did." With that, the man trudged on without any semblance of consideration or polite conduct.

"Lovely," Aika sighed sarcastically. "Man, everything about this place just saps you of energy... let's get moving." They climbed several flights of walkways, up to the main gates of the city, finding them wide-open and admitting them to the first walled district of Esperanza. Exploring around, they talked with several other people, and each time the inhabitants produced similar answers to their inquiries.

Converging in town square, the three of them exchanged bewildered looks. Vyse let out a long sigh. "Nobody would believe I'm serious, or if they did take me serious they informed me how impossible it was and how gruesome my death would be. Either of you get anything useful?"

"I'm a fool," David noted calmly. "According to a few dozen sources. Other than that, _nada en absoluto_." He looked over to the towering metal walls, his eyes tracing the patterns of rampant rust all through the unkempt defensive structure. "Come on. Up the hill is the last tavern, and the Inn we're looking for, as well as a Nasrian ship parts dealer that we can check out." They climbed the small dirt hill to the second section of town, and turned the corner, entering the drinking establishment which looked about as abused at the others.

The inside was no better. Stark and old metal surfaces were everywhere, the few patrons at misshapen tables and wooden chairs refused to speak to them at all, and a tattered Valuan ship flag hung on one of the walls, gouges and scorches all over it's weathered surface.

"Sir?" Vyse turned to the last man sitting in the corner. He had surprisingly well-maintained chestnut brown hair in a traditional Valuan style, and wore an old sailors' tunic and jacket, with gloved hands and a large curled mustache over a thin, taught mouth. His eyes were slightly fogged over but still retained a sharp, bitter intelligence that surveyed the air pirates critically. "Can we ask you a few questions?"

He looked up at Vyse over his bottle of Blue Loqua and sighed. "You kids aren't from around here, hm? Pirates, I'd bet." He paused. "Ask your question and be on your way, kid. I'm Don."

It was a fairly rude thing to say, but it constituted more progress than he had found with anyone else in the entire city, and was enough cause to make the teenager grin. "Thanks. We were wondering if you could help us cross the Dark Rift." This made the Esperanzan cock his eyebrows in surprise, and with a rustle, David and Aika noticed all of the patrons and the young bartender were all now looking at them. It made the redhead uncomfortable.

"... What?" Don said lowly. "Cross... cross the Dark Rift, you say?" Without warning he burst into a drunken laughter, mockery etched on his features. "What can you do, the world's still full of fools..." He spared a glance to the broken window into the red sky, then looked back at the Blue Rogues. They reacted with confusion to this, looking around.

The tavernkeep, a bronzed young lady, spoke up from her cleaning rag over a glass mug. "Are you kids serious? You're trying to ford the Rift?"

Another sailor, seated at the bar, chuckled. "They don't stand a fuckin' chance. Somebody better go and tell their mommy where these kids are... hey, shaggy," He addressed LeCroix's hidden face, "These your children? You better stop teachin' em bedtime stories before they get into trouble."

David offered no response. The man seated with his back to the flag sighed. "Listen, kid. That ain't no ordinary sky rift." He took a long swig from his bottle and brought it down to the metal table violently with a dull scraping noise. "During the War, the Empire set up this forward base for an invasion of Nasr... but things didn't pan out. They found out that, although the War was over, this place was near 'the Portal', the single formation that would allow a ship to enter.

But this place is the edge of the world. If you try and go farther east, you'll be killed, or you'll fail and wind up right back here, no better off. Hundreds of men, good, quality men have died tryin' to ford the Dark Rift. But a few people every year don't heed the warnin's. The Rift usually claims em. The best sailors in the world tried to cross it... men from Valua, Nasr, Sailors' Island, North and Mid Oceans.

One by one, they all gave it a go. One by one, they all got killed or were spat out back to here. The winds will either repel your ship completely, that's if you're lucky, but usually it sucks you in. And there's no escape, you'll be ripped to shreds in minutes. My crew and I lost our ship, and almost our lives, too. Nobody comes here anymore.

Know why? I'll spell it out for you, Air Pirate. Crossing the Dark Rift is _impossible_." Concluding his monologue, Don stared at the ground and sighed, taking another swig out of his bottle.

"Some things just can't be done," Another sailor said from the other side of the tavern, shaking her head. "Get your head out of the clouds before you get yourself and your crew killed."

David could no longer contain the rising emotion inside his mind, and he turned to take in the entire bar. "What is _wrong_ with you people?!" He demanded in a display of his flammable temper, usually reserved for Gilder or the Valuan Empire. "You've thrown your whole lives away, just because you got pushed away by a sky rift."

"Don't you care about anything?" Aika added, imploring them all. When nobody answered her, she turned to Vyse and David. "Guys, let's get out of here. We're just wasting our time in this shithole."

Vyse took a step closer to Don, looking down on the hopeless drunk with a mix of his all-confident resolution and contempt. "Thanks for the info," He said severely. "We'll be going now. I'd just like to tell you before we leave that this is the sorriest sight I have ever seen in my entire life." He looked over to address the others. "If you loose sight of one goal, make another. Think about what you could have done in all the time you've been sitting around here, uselessly. What, you can't win the first time, so you just give up? Nothing is impossible, _nothing_. There's a whole world out there to see! Don, don't you have any desire at all to sail again?!"

This gave the Valuan pause, and he stared silently up at Vyse for several moments, his drunken face an enigma as emotions swirled about just under the surface. David sighed. "Whatever. You can rot, like this whole place is doing already. Come on. Let's hit the ship dealer next then get a room at the Inn." The Vice Captain led the teenagers back out of the tavern, and Don watched them go. Nobody spoke in the establishment for several moments, each of them in a deep and sober contemplation at Vyse's words.

The Air Pirates were also quiet as they climbed another hill and exited the walled part of the city, heading towards an old sailboat deeply embedded in the sandy ground. In front of it was laid out a variety of technology and gear, personal weapons as well as airship parts and components, and seated at it was a man in traditional Nasr robes.

"_Hola. Buenos noches_," The man said, then switched to a fair Valuan. "Welcome to the only ship parts dealer in the city. You were the ones that came in on the skiff, correct?"

"Yes, but we have a larger ship out waiting for us," David replied. "We're looking for components and weapons compatible with the newest generation of Valuan warship."

The merchant cocked an eyebrow. "Modern Valuan tech? I do have a few recent pieces, but most of the current generation has been locked down tight by the Empire, because they don't want other nations gaining their weapon systems." He thought for a moment. "Let's see... I have a set of 10' Cannon Coils, excellent secondaries which can fire multiple shells without reloading, as well as a set of upgraded Valuan torpedo launchers, ammunition for both..." He leaned in. "I also have a prototype destroyer-class cannon, more powerful, I hear, then even Prince Enrique's flagship would have been, if it hadn't been stolen before it was finished. That one is probably a little too pricey, though... 4000 _rhira_, although I will accept 9,500 gold pieces."

"Hm..."

"Vyse! Vyse!" Everyone turned, to see the small form of Marco darting up the hill at a respectable speed. The Valuan urchin gasped for breath, looking up at them all. "Look!" The _Delphinus_ was in the skies, approaching Esperanza. "I came here on one of the skiffs with Doc and Luke. A lot of shit's going on, Vyse!"

"I see." Vyse crossed his arms. "Calm down, Marco, and tell us what's up." _Lawrence broke our cover... they must have sighted the Valuan ships, or something._

His suspicions were confirmed. "We spotted five ships coming in pretty slow and forming a blockade, wide around the cape, and sealing us in to the harbor. It's those weird ships from before, and they're part of Admiral Gregorio's fleet!" He gasped. "That ain't all, though. They let a Nasrian messenger through, it must be from Karzhai."

"Wow." Aika shook his head. "Why would they let a Nasr ship through their blockade, then?"

"Apparently Gregorio's got some kinda message for Enrique," Marco replied. "Come on, we have to get to the docks, everyone's waitin' for us!"

David nodded. "Alright. Sir, I'm sorry, but it looks like we've got more pressing business to attend do. We'll be back later, have that destroyer cannon ready for us, please." The Nasrian man nodded, and, their business finished, they all beat a hasty path back through the walled city and out to the docks.

Enrique was standing upright on the walkways, and looked over at their approach. He looked like he had recovered some, but was using all of his willpower to bear himself in a professional manner. "Vyse, you should see this." Vyse walked up to the thin railing next to him and used his skyglass to zoom in on the distant set of dots on the bloody horizon. The ship in the center was largest by far, rust-red armor plating making the thing incredibly bulky and solid, and with an ominous set of metal spikes set into the front. The bridge was elevated in the center of the craft, protected by a solid dome of steel, and even the engine propellers were covered. The entire thing looked like a mobile fortress. The ships around it were simply smaller, spike-less copies, and followed in standard formation. "That is the flagship of the Second Admiral of the Valuan Armada, the _Auriga_. Admiral Gregorio, it's commander, is known as the greatest defensive tactician in naval history, and he's the oldest man serving the Empire. He's called 'Ironwall'."

The others walked up from the docks, Fina with Doc and Luke in toe. A Nasrian trooper followed behind them. "Vyse," Doc spoke up, "This is Major Kahil of the Nasr Army. Karzhai sent him with the reply to our message." The soldier silently handed him a roll of red parchment, which he unfurled.

The paper from the Nasrian commander-in-chief detailed all of his country's information about the new Defender-Class Valuan Cruisers, and also their designer, Gregorio himself. It included a picture, and the man in it exuded power, age, and honor, his eyes bastions of loyalty and intelligence.

Kahil produced a second piece of paper. "Prince Enrique, the Valuans would only let me pass on the condition that I deliver this message to you. It's from Gregorio himself." The parchment was white with gold trim, Valuan royal standard.

Enrique opened it up, reading aloud. " 'I hope this message finds my Prince in good health. I have been told you have experienced a change of heart, perhaps under threat from the air pirates of Vyse the Blue Rogue. My Prince's Mother, the crown Empress of the Valuan Empire, has dispatched me to escort my Prince to the Royal Capitol so he may recover. If my Prince refuses to comply, then regrettably, my fleet will begin firing upon the town at noon of the clock tomorrow. Signed, Your Loyal Servant, Admiral Gregorio.' Hm..." He spared a sickly smile for the message. "Uncle Gregorio is asking me to surrender..."

David paused. "Uncle Gregorio?" The Blue Rogue echoed.

"Oh, Uncle Gregorio was an Admiral in the Armada even before my Father... passed away. He helped to raise me, and he taught me the value of honor and righteousness. He's always been like family to me... Vyse, I know that he really doesn't want to fight, and would accept my surrender. But I can't go back... not after everything they've done."

"Enrique..." Aika said, looking at the prince with admiration for his resolve.

"Let's get some rest tonight," The Valuan prince suggested. "Gregorio is the most honorable man I've ever known. He'll keep to his word... we have until tomorrow. I think the _Delphinus_ should lay in at the dock, even if we can't land her in a hangar."

Luke nodded. "Good idea." He clicked on his radio before anyone else could. "Lawrence, this is Luke. Let's anchor the ship down to the docks and let the rest of the crew on solid ground for the night."

"_Affirmative_," The mercenary's slightly distorted voice replied. The airship floating overhead slowly turned, presenting it's side to the city and gently moving down with it's propellers until the bridge was about eye-level with them on the walkway, the main deck aligned with one of the dock sections. "_We're laying out lines now_." Belle and Khazim's crews of gunners tossed over grappling hooks securing the _Delphinus_ to the sheer rock cliff on which Esperanza was mounted, and then dropped several anchors and set the engines to standard hover-keeping to save fuel.

"Good thing we're all gonna sleep on land tonight," Aika giggled. "It wouldn't be good form to let your Uncle Gregorio see you leaning over the side of the ship tossing breakfast in the middle of battle, Enrique." Several other people chuckled as well.

Enrique was suitably chagrined, and blushed slightly. "Oh, Aika, please, don't I suffer enough by having my stomach rip itself apart daily?"

"I hope the Inn can fit all of us," Vyse smirked. "Good thing this place doesn't have many guests, because our crew will fill all the billets."

0-0

Night had fallen like a blanket over the hopeless city, the blackness of the sky broken by the warm and strong glow of the Red Moon directly overhead. Almost everyone was asleep, but one man could not find any rest that night. Vyse was up on one of the fortified lighthouses of Esperanza, staring into the Dark Rift, which was visible even now, as, like Valuan airspace, it had an aura blacker than mere night could imitate.

_Tomorrow is the battle. I feel just like I did that night on Sailors' Island before we left to save everyone from execution... I'm going to tangle with the fleet of a genius, and then we're going to try and do something nobody's ever done in history. Our chances of survival are not good, and I have a really bad feeling about this._ With nobody around, Vyse wholly dropped his usual pretense of invincible confidence, allowing the inner doubt, uncertainty and fear bottled deep within to seep into his mind's sober contemplation.

His thoughts were broken by the sound of another climbing up to the observation deck of the lighthouse, and he was not entirely surprised to see Enrique. The blonde blinked in comprehension of his pirate friend in the low light, and he spoke up. "Vyse," He said. "Were you unable to sleep too?"

"Yeah," The teenager replied, sighing. "I might look like the last person in the world you'd expect this from, but my nerves are shot. I've got insomnia, like the night before the battle of Nasrad, and before I attacked the Grand Fortress."

"You mean to tell me you have emotions that aren't positive?" Enrique asked in fake shock. "I'm scared, really. I don't want to fight my Uncle... one of us might end up killing the other out there tomorrow in battle..." The prince shook his head. "Suffice it to say that I understand your anxiety. You don't always have to be the heroic leader."

"We'll see," Vyse replied quietly. "There's no other way for me to be, I suppose. I have to be a swashbuckler, because if I don't do it, nobody will."

"The entire crew stands behind you," The prince said. "I could never dream of such loyalty from the royal guards. Even Lawrence, a hired gun, is willing to stick it out with you. You're a great man, Vyse. There's no doubting that. I know tomorrow we'll make it through, somehow or another." He put his gloved hand on the other guy's shoulder.

Vyse chuckled morosely. "I thought I was the one who gave cheer and happiness to the crew. You better not steal my thunder, Valuan."

"Ah, but whose nation _invented_ thunder, hm?" Enrique smirked.

He paused. "Enrique, you're a pretty good leader, yourself." He planted a very light kiss on his cheek and smirked at the blonde's bewildered reaction. "You'll make an excellent Emperor once you get Valua back on the right track. I'm gonna go back to bed, and possibly get Fina to cast Slipara on me. G'night."

"Alright. I'll be up here a while." The prince looked up at the moon, then over to the sky where he knew Gregorio was out there. _Uncle Gregorio, are you looking at the moon right now? I hope you can forgive me... but this is the only path I can rightfully choose. You, more than anyone, would understand that..._

Onboard the _Auriga_, Admiral Gregorio stood on the main deck of the ship, staring up at the Red Moon, his mind and heart heavy with the burdens of his duty. _I must complete my mission... Enrique, what has happened to you? Why has it come to this? Please, Moons, forgive me..._

_It must be done._

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


End file.
